


Make Your Heart Remember Me

by perfectdagger (sincerelyste)



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: (it's nothing to worry about really), (more like a light tension than angst), Alternate Universe - Future, Baker Harry, Canon Related, Coach Louis, Famous Louis Tomlinson, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Judge Louis, Kid Fic, Light Angst, M/M, Meeting Again, Mutual Pining, Non-Famous Harry, Pining, Single Parent Harry Styles, The Voice Kids AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-11-20
Packaged: 2019-07-05 04:09:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 97,757
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15855927
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sincerelyste/pseuds/perfectdagger
Summary: “Hello Lily’s dad, don’t be shy!” Pixie says, indulging him to interact with them on stage and the man gives in, shaking his head and laughing as he looks up and Louis can finally see his face.It’s like something clicks for him. He hadn’t even paid attention to the name when Lily first said it, but as soon as he looks at the man, the name catches up with the face.Harry.Louis can’t see much from afar, obviously, and also it’s been almost twelve years since Louis last saw the boy’s – now a man – face, but he knows it’s him. How could it not be?Harry, whom he met at bootcamp, that cute boy with a head full of curls, shiny green eyes, rosy lips, a voice of an angel, who happened to pee on him. Of course he would remember Harry.When Harry’s daughter auditions for The Voice Kids singing One Direction, Louis unexpectedly finds himself remembering a boy from his past. This time, he hopes to have another chance to make sure he won’t let him slip away.





	1. Prologue - The X-Factor Bootcamp (2010)

**Author's Note:**

> Here's one fic no one asked for but that I've had the idea in my head for over two years and decided it was about time for it to come to life!
> 
> I tried to make this as close as I could to how I imagine The Voice Kids UK works, since watching this year's series only provided me with so much from the actual show and not from the behind the scenes. Let's hope this isn't too far-fetched. If it is, well, it's fanfiction anyway ;)
> 
> Can't thank my wonderful SsS Support System enough for always reading through my endless chapters and helping me!
> 
> As for now, this will be a WIP that I'll try not to take too long to update if my writing schedule goes according to my plans, but I'm hopeful this will be complete soon! (narrator's voice: it wasn't)
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it!
> 
> Ste xx
> 
> You can listen to the main songs mentioned in the fic [here](https://open.spotify.com/user/stephvicente/playlist/5TwSQsz6qptkoVlJSwmzD2?si=5oE2W5DHQGOvJ7oRE3l9cw) :)

_I've known it from the moment that we met  
_ _No doubt in my mind where you belong_

_♪_

 

When Louis got to London, he couldn’t quite believe that he was really there for the X-Factor. He actually got through to the boot camp phase this time, it was just surreal.

Seeing all those people, so many different and talented people heading to Wembley Arena was truly terrifying, if he was being honest to himself.

As terrifying as it was, Louis wanted it so bad. If he didn’t he wouldn’t have tried again, but to know that he was competing against a whole bunch of people who were probably more obstinate than he was, who had more chances than him, who had much more talent than him was so scary it kept him thinking throughout his train trip from Doncaster to London if he really was cut out to be there among all of them.

He wouldn’t give up, though. As much as he was shitting his pants, as much as there were people there that had been wanting to become famous and a popstar for longer than he had, nothing could take that away from him. It was his chance to prove himself and try his hardest.

The arena and the other contestants were very intimidating, there was no denying, which only added to Louis’ nervousness, but when he was standing with the other two hundred people on the stage and Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh showed up to talk to them, it finally clicked to him that it was happening, he was there for real. That was the real deal. If he made it through boot camp, he was one step closer to his dream coming true.

Even with Simon putting the pressure on them that by the end of the day half of those people would be heading back home, Louis tried to calm himself and focus on giving his best on all three stages of that part of the competition.

First, they were divided into their categories and Louis followed along the boys to start vocal training and rehearsing for their challenge, which was to sing the same song in front of the judges. That wouldn’t be easy, Louis noticed as he watched the rest of the boys sing Man In The Mirror and some of them being so confident, with voices so powerful that he almost felt shadowed by everyone else. He started letting go and feeling more confident the more they rehearsed the song and also felt that people were as nervous as him. Everybody was in the same place, trying to give their best. And even if it was a competition, there was still a sense of solidarity between all of them that was making Louis more comfortable to sing.

Before it was the boys time to perform for Cowell and Walsh, they were gathered on a staircase singing together, just chilling and relaxing and it was so nice to be part of all of that, Louis felt like he would never take that experience for granted, even more at that moment when he could see so many talented and cool people in the same place. He had chatted to some of the other contestants and as he stood there singing along, he started to see other faces he hadn’t noticed before or even some he remembered from his own audition in Manchester.

There was a boy, a flight of stairs above him, singing so care free and enjoying himself while holding two bottles of water in his hands, drumming them against the rail of staircase, which was making Louis laugh. Louis remembered him, even if now he had a hat on top of his curly hair, a rather debatable fashion choice, but that made him look cute nonetheless, Louis thought (he had already come to that conclusion when he was in line for his audition in Manchester and saw that boy being interviewed). And not only was he cute, he was also very talented, Louis could now add to things he knew about this boy. The charisma he had as he sang and played around was something so captivating Louis couldn’t stop smiling as he watched him. That boy was really something else and somehow he stuck out among the others, at least for Louis. He had high hopes that the boy would go through. In Louis’ opinion, he had more chances than most people there, himself included, to keep going in the competition. If Louis didn’t make it, he was sure he would be cheering for that boy for as long as he continued on the show.

Louis also hoped that by the end of the day, he would at least know the boy’s name. If he wasn’t sent home by Cowell and Walsh, that was it.

 

X

 

As it turned out, Louis made it through the next part of boot camp and was just too excited to actually think of doing anything else after leaving the arena and heading back to the hotel and calling his mum to tell her the news. He then happened to completely forget about the boy. Louis knew he had made it through along with him, but he failed to talk to him when everyone was done for the day. He was way too ecstatic to even be disappointed by that, because one way or another he would see him again on the next day, when they would have to face another challenge.

And for the challenge this time, Louis was informed with all the other contestants as they were on stage again in the arena that they were going to learn how to dance.

Much to Louis’ surprise, people seemed excited. He, on the other hand, wasn’t sure how to feel about it. It was not that he wasn’t a good dancer. In his humble eighteen years of life, he had done his fair share of dancing, be it alone in his room, at parties or even in the plays and musicals he had acted in school. So, he wasn’t all that bad, but still, to have people evaluating him on it, that was the intimidating part, as well as having everyone else watching him do it.

They all stood on stage, learning the moves the choreographers were instructing them and Louis had to admit it was quite amusing to see people failing to get them right. Louis was finding it hard himself to learn it, so he couldn’t judge others who were struggling as well. It was just that he was at the back and he could see more people than people could see him, so there was the fun part in it. It was tiring and demanding though, but he was making the best out of it, actually enjoying it, doing what he could and the parts he couldn’t he started making them up for fun. He could notice there were some people really taking it seriously, so determinate that he felt he was a little bit behind, but not as behind as the boy that had caught his attention and that he had somehow spotted in the front.

That day, he was wearing a wine-red sweatshirt with shorts and purple trainers and Louis had never seen something so ridiculous like that, and yet, if he thought about it, it was still rather cute. And even if Louis couldn’t see the boy’s face as he was turned towards the front of the stage and it was even more difficult as he had his hoodie up, he could tell that he was focused on trying to get the choreography right, although he was having a hard time copying the movements.

After what felt like hours rehearsing, it was time for each category group to perform. The boys were gathered in a corner and before they got to stand in the middle of the stage, Louis talked to some of his fellows contestants, nonchalantly wishing good luck to all of them as an excuse to indirectly talk to the boy, as he seemed to be pretty tense. In their positions, Louis stood in front of him so he wasn’t able to see how well he was doing, so he tried to focus on himself, because after all, that was what that was about. He actually remembered all the movements and felt great dancing around for the first round before they were asked to change lines. But that was when things got a bit tense, because one guy from the boys group, a kid called Zayn, apparently hadn’t been on stage. It took awhile for the producers to find him backstage and by the time he got back, he had to perform with only a few other boys, _the boy_ included, because Louis had already done his round and Louis could see the other one feeling a bit looser than he had noticed him on rehearsal and when it was the freestyle part of the dance, Louis couldn’t help but laugh at some crazy moves that boy had come up with, something with moving his torso with his hands, it was simply ridiculous (but somehow endearing and unique).

Louis didn’t get a chance to talk to him again on that day, as they had stood on opposite sides of the stage after their performance, and when Cowell and Walsh informed them that the dancing wouldn’t be used to cut anyone from the competition, everybody was relieved and ready to go. But before, each one of them would have to choose a song from forty options to sing for the last challenge. They would have a day to prepare themselves and Louis would try to make the best out of it, because the next time he performed in front of the judges, it would be the last chance he would have to prove himself. It would be for real.

This time he would have to go big or he would go home, literally, so he left the arena that day feeling determined to go through the competition, whatever it would take.

 

X

 

There wasn’t much that could happen to Louis that would let his nervousness affect him so much, but on the day of the final challenge, he woke up sick, on the verge of throwing up and it took him a good few minutes to put his nerves back in place and head to the arena.

He had spent the previous day practicing on Make You Feel My Love, and it wasn’t so difficult since he loved the song, but he had to perfect the way he sang it. He knew that even though singing Hey There Delilah on his initial audition had been a safe choice for him, he could’ve done much better. This time, he couldn’t afford not to sing the song the best possible way as so to impress Cowell and Walsh.

His confidence was on point the day before, but it seemed it was slowly fading away once he stepped on stage along with the rest of the contestants. He wasn’t one to have stagefright, it wasn’t that. It was just a feeling of not knowing if everything he was doing was good enough to put him through the next phase. Also, knowing that Nicole Scherzinger would be there to make a decision about who would or wouldn’t continue, that added a different thrill.

He would have time to pull himself together, though. There were about one hundred people to perform for the judges and Louis could either stay in the arena watching the performances (which he knew wouldn’t help much his confidence to see other people do better than him), he could stay in the room with the lot of people waiting, he could also practice a bit more with the vocal coaches or simply mind his own business elsewhere. He decided on chilling with the others for a bit, finding himself along some of the youngest of the boys group and talking to that Zayn kid that had freaked out on the dancing challenge. He seemed as jitterish as Louis was, so that was somewhat comforting to know that he wasn’t alone. They talked about other contestants and that was when Louis was reminded of the curly boy. He hadn’t seen him yet on that day, wondering if he had chosen to watch other people performing or vocal training. There was still time for Louis to find out his whereabouts though.

But with the clock ticking and nearing the time of his presentation, sitting still wasn’t doing much to help Louis. He had to get up and walk around a bit to clear his mind, singing to himself as he wandered through the arena, talking to one person here and other there, drinking water and warming up his voice. He ended up going to the toilet after much walking and didn’t even notice that somebody else had stood at the urinal near to his as he was absentmindedly peeing and humming his song under his breath. It was only when he was about to tuck himself back in and felt something splashing his shoes that he made account of who was beside him.

“Oops,” a voice said as Louis looked to his shoes then back up to see the disgusting person who didn’t even know how to pee properly.

He was about to snap, he was sure he had the most irritated expression on his face but when he realized who it was standing there, he didn’t know what to do. Of course he was still angry at being peed at, but... It was _the boy_ , the curly haired boy that somehow had been stuck in his head for the past days, and as much as that had been the most ridiculous and disgusting thing to ever happen to Louis, he didn’t feel like he wanted to yell at him or tell him to fuck off.

“Hi?” There wasn’t much Louis could say as he tried to keep his face straight, but then ended up letting out an awkward laugh. He also tried to keep his eyes on the boy’s face instead of looking down (because he had some self-control, obviously).

The boy was blushing as he managed to look both guilty and innocent at the same time as he turned around to focus on his own peeing again and also tuck himself in.

“Oh, shit. Sorry,” he said, as he tried to suppress a smile and Louis thought he wasn’t really sorry about that. The dimple appearing on his cheek was totally giving him away. “Got a little distracted over here.” Louis heard him zipping his trousers again and Louis felt himself relaxing a bit.

“How could you possibly get distracted with peeing, mate?” Louis laughed again, shaking his head.

“You were humming and it sounded nice, so I turned to look at you, that’s how.” The boy shrugged and Louis couldn’t believe his straightforwardness. He was looking at Louis with bright green eyes Louis hadn’t noticed before but now standing so close to him, he could also add that to the things that endeared him about the boy.

“Well,” Louis made sure to keep the eye contact, “I think I feel flattered then, even if it’s by some stranger’s pee.” He opened a small smile at him, hoping to convey that he was actually fine with that, as unlikely as it was.

“The pee wasn’t intentional, obviously.” Louis saw him closing his eyes briefly and it seemed he was considering something for a second before he looked right at Louis and spoke again. “But there’s no need for anyone to be a stranger. I’m Harry. Harry Styles”

Oh.

Harry.

Finally Louis could put a name to the face and somehow it suited him so well.

“Then, Harry…” Louis started teasing, “I’m glad it was your pee and not anybody else’s,” he winked at him and could see the boy getting flushed again. “I’m Louis Tomlinson,” he continued.

“This should be the time where we shake hands, but I guess…” Harry smiled at Louis, looking at his hands and shrugging once again.

“Mate, you just peed on me, I think we’re way past that.” Louis laughed as he turned and headed to the sink to wash his hand. He saw Harry following him and doing the same. “But if you insist then.” He extended his hand to Harry after drying them.

Harry rolled his eyes playfully at Louis, then took Louis’ hand to shake it. “Nice to properly meet you, Louis.”

“Does this mean we have actually met before?” Louis asked as he got a few paper towels to clean his pee-splashed shoes. He wondered what Harry meant with that. He knew he had been observing Harry for the past couple of days, but now he didn’t know if he hadn’t been subtle enough or if it meant Harry had noticed him too.

“Well, we’ve been on the same competition for a few days now. I’ve seen you around, I just didn’t _know_ you,” Harry pointed out, a bit coyly, as they walked outside the toilet after Louis threw the papers in the bin.

“Fair enough,” Louis considered and maybe, just maybe Harry had been observing him too.

They were standing by the toilet door and Louis didn’t know if Harry was just going to say good luck and farewell to him as he looked around and then landed his eyes on Louis again. He hoped not, but he also didn’t know what else to say to him. He had spent the last days thinking about getting to know the boy and now that he had, his mind had completely gone blank.

“So, what song are you gonna sing today?” Harry asked and Louis felt relieved that it wasn’t just gonna be it, a meeting (and peeing) in the bathroom and never talking to each other again.

“I chose Make You Feel My Love,” Louis smiled at Harry and resumed walking, “and you?”

“Oh, that’s a good one. I love Adele, I almost chose it but thought it was a bit too much for me. I went with Stop Crying your Heart Out.” Harry followed him.

“Too much for you?” Louis questioned, “you have a nice voice, I’ve heard you sing. I think you’d do great with this song. But Oasis is never a bad choice either.” He tried to reassure Harry, because that was true. In his opinion, Harry could be able to sing anything.

“You think so?” Harry looked at Louis with some shiny green eyes. “I mean, I don’t know… I almost didn’t make it to boot camp, Walsh didn’t think I was ready, so I was afraid to go with something that would sound too heavy for me.” He shrugged and Louis could sense some self doubt in the boy.

“Hey, I saw you carrying Man In The Mirror almost all by yourself the other day when we were standing on the stairs. I thought it was very impressive. You’re absolutely talented, if you’d chosen to sing Adele or any other of the songs, you’d do great. I think you’ll do great with Oasis as well, just for the record.” Louis wasn’t ashamed to let the boy know how talented he thought he was.

“Well, thanks.” He saw Harry blushing a bit. “Yeah, I was really excited that day, it was so nice. I think I remember you standing by the wall singing as well. You looked nice,” Harry suddenly stopped walking and looked back at Louis, “I mean, you sounded nice. Looked nice too, yeah.” Louis could hear his embarrassment in his voice and as he bit down at his lip, Louis couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

“I’m guessing the peeing was intentional, then,” Louis decided to joke and Harry took it nicely, saying a low “hey” and shoving Louis playfully with his shoulder, getting closer to him. “I’m kidding. But again, I feel flattered.”

“You do sound nice. And dance as well,” Harry continued and started walking again. “I saw you during the challenge. You’ve got nice moves. It seems like you’ve got it all.” He didn’t sound embarrassed this time. Louis was getting more and more endeared by Harry’s personality, when at first he would seem very coy and shy, but somehow in the next moment he would find the courage to be blunt and Louis kinda liked that.

“You really did see me around, ay?” He laughed again and Harry rolled his eyes. “But I’m not so sure about the dancing. It’s not one of me strongest assets.”

“From behind you certainly did have a great asset.” Harry deadpanned and it was Louis’ time to stop on his tracks.

That was flirting.

Louis didn’t even know what was the boy’s deal, but Harry was indeed flirting with him and even if at first it felt like light complimenting and bantering, now Louis was one hundred percent sure it was flirting and wasn’t that boy something else? Harry had a very cute face and innocent look, almost looking like a cherub with his curls and green eyes, but if he first looked a bit timid, he didn’t lack straightforwardness when he wanted.

Louis could play that game too. He wasn’t going to lie that he hadn’t found interest in Harry since the beginning. Harry looked maybe a year or two younger than him but was pretty, cute and funny and seemed to be somewhat interested in Louis. What else could he do?

“You did too,” Louis tested the waters to see the look on Harry’s face. “I mean, I saw you dancing that second round. Very nice moves you had. That thing with your hands?” Louis tried to copy the dance Harry had done on stage.

Harry then laughed at Louis’ cheekiness. “I was so nervous, I just went with something that my friends find funny when I do it. I’m not sure anyone was impressed by that.”

“I was,” Louis confessed without a second thought, seeing Harry scrunch up his nose. “But I was nervous as well. Still am, this whole thing is making me a bundle of nerves I think I’m about to pass out at any minute.”

“Innit?” Harry agreed, “I’m terrified to be honest. I’m enjoying it to the point that I really don’t wanna go home. It would be just awesome to go to the Judges’ houses, but I don’t know… I keep thinking if I’m ready for this. I’m only sixteen, you know. There’s so much that can happen.” He looked downwards his shoes, corner of his mouth twisting and one hand ruffling his curls nervously.

“Hey,” Louis made them both stop walking as he put a hand over Harry shoulder, making the younger boy look at him, “don’t think like that. Yeah, you’re young but you’re super talented, for real. I know it might sound crazy but the first time I heard you singing I really thought you had more chances than me to make it through.”

“Louis, that’s–” Harry tried to interrupt, but whatever it was that he was going to say, Louis didn’t let him.

“I’m serious. If I had to put my money on anyone, it would be on you. And I’m not saying that because you peed on me,” he joked, making Harry let out a small chuckle. “You have that one thing, you know? What do they call it? The x factor? Yeah…” Now that Louis had made Harry laugh, he didn’t want to see the worried look on his face again. “But for real. Harry Styles? That’s a popstar name right there. If you don’t become famous, the universe is doing something wrong, mate. So, don’t worry. You just have to give your best out there. If you keep thinking that you’re not gonna make it, then it’s worse.”

Louis didn’t know where he got that confidence to cheer Harry up, but somehow that was what he felt he needed to do. He should be calming himself because he knew he was as nervous as Harry but being there with that boy, he had forgotten all about it.

“Thanks, Louis, truly.” Harry smiled at him again, a small timid smile this time, but that warmed up Louis nonetheless.

“Don’t worry, alright?” Louis felt brave enough to pull Harry into a hug. He had talked to the boy for less than thirty minutes and maybe they had joked and flirted a little, but Louis already felt that he could do that. He wanted to do that, as sudden as it was.

“It’s hard not to, but I’ll try,” Harry laughed against Louis’ neck, squeezing Louis close and then letting go. “You shouldn’t either, you know?” He looked back at Louis. “You say I have more chances than you do, but Louis, you really are special.”

Louis was taken aback by Harry’s words, but managed to open a genuine smile at him. “We’ll be fine, curly. You’ll see. And even if I don’t make it, when you become famous, I hope you remember your first real number one fan.”

Harry laughed out loud this time. “Convinced much?” He lifted an eyebrow at Louis. He only shrugged nonchalantly. “I guess you’ll have to fight for that title with my mum.”

“I’ll gladly do it.” Louis laughed back and when they were about to resume walking again, another contestant bumped into them. Louis had noticed the guy walking down the corridor talking to other people and even before Louis had gone to the bathroom and started talking to Harry, he had exchanged a few words with him and for some weird reason the guy had been taking pictures around the arena with everybody. When he stopped to talk to Louis and Harry that time, he also asked both boys for one and they went along with it.

“Make sure to keep this photo, lad. I want proof that I met Harry before stardom,” Louis told him as the guy went away to talk to someone else.

“You are actually serious about this, aren’t you?” Harry shook his head, not quite believing Louis was pulling that.

“The most serious.” Louis nodded, making a very serious face that turned into a silly one, making Harry laugh once more.

If Louis’ mission was to cheer Harry up and in return get that lovely laughter, followed by cute dimples and an adorable face looking back at him as a prize, then Louis considered it completely achieved.

They kept walking and when Louis noticed Harry didn’t mention going anywhere else, both of them were heading back to the waiting area where Louis had been before. Harry sat with him and they chatted some more, also with the others contestants –  a guy named Liam that had just been interviewed on camera, who was way too serious about the competition because he had already been to the Judge’s House before, and another kid called Niall, an Irish boy that was all laughs and by one point was randomly speaking on the phone with someone in Spanish – as one by one they were called to perform. When it was Harry’s turn before Louis’, Louis hugged him again, saying that he would smash it. Louis wished he had gone to the stage to watch Harry perform, but he knew Harry would be great in it, he didn’t need to watch him to confirm it.

Harry didn’t go back to meet with Louis after and it was not that Louis felt a bit relieved by that. At least without Harry, he wouldn’t get distracted by him and could focus again on getting ready for his turn to sing, even if that also brought back his nervousness. He tried to think about everything he had told Harry, but his self pep talk didn’t seem to work much. So, when he was called to go on stage, he was completely jitterish, but worked on only thinking about the song, the lyrics and the notes he’d sing and hoping for the best.

He headed back to the hotel not sure if his performance had turned out as good as he had expected and even more worried than from when he had arrived at the arena on that day, because they would only know they judge’s decision in two days and Louis couldn’t help being anxious to know if he would make it or not.

He also wondered about how Harry had done. He wasn’t lying when he said he believed in Harry’s talent and potential and he was genuinely worried that Harry’s insecurity about his talent would somehow hinder his performance. Nervousness could be a bitch, Louis knew that. But that shouldn’t be in Harry’s way in any way. The boy deserved to make it, wherever it was, be it to the Judges’ Houses or finding his own way through fame.

In the small time Louis got to talk to Harry, Louis had found out that the initial infatuation he had for him wasn’t at all misplaced. Harry was not only talented, but such a cool lad and not to mention so interesting. Harry had told him about his work in the bakery, about his cat Dusty and about his band White Eskimo. But there were still so many facts Louis could know about Harry, he wished he had at least taken his mobile number so they could talk more afterwards and get to know each other better, but with everything going on, he completely forgot. He knew Harry was in the same hotel as the other contestants, but it would be just nonsense to go knocking on people’s rooms to find the curly boy. He would have to wait another day to see Harry then and finally find out what their fate would be.

 

X

 

With one day off before going back to the Arena for the judge’s decision, Louis thought he would bump into Harry at the hotel at some point, but it seemed they were only missing each other. Louis had taken the day to walk around London a bit and when he’d meet any other contestant, he’d casually ask if they had seen Harry. Some of them would say they had just talked to him, or seen him somewhere, or that they didn’t know where he was.

Louis eventually gave up and decided it was just better to meet with him the next day. He was way too nervous to focus both on Harry and think about what would happen to him when the judge’s decided who would follow through the competition. If he had been about to throw up the previous day, that night he couldn’t even sleep nor put any food inside his body for dinner or breakfast the next morning. He just wanted to get it over with and the sooner he’d get to the arena, the faster time would pass and all would go away, for better or worse.

He was so distracted when the van stopped at the Wembley Arena that he didn’t even notice Harry calling him. He just knew he was when he felt a hand on his arm and turned around to see the boy right next to him.

“Hey Louis, you alright? I was calling you, but you seemed to be with your head in the clouds.” Harry said when Louis looked at him with a concerned face. The dimpled smile and soft green eyes were still there, but Louis could see that Harry was as apprehensive as he was.

“Hey, sorry. I didn’t hear you. Couldn’t sleep much last night, I’m so out of it I just want this day to be over.” Louis shrugged sadly.

“Me too, I kept tossing and turning all night. I even had to get up one time to walk down the lobby because I couldn’t even stay in bed. If I knew you were also up, I’d have come to your room and we could’ve talked. You helped me a lot before the performance the other day, although I think I might’ve screwed up a bit.” The boy gave Louis a lopsided smile and Louis didn’t want to think about Harry all alone not being able to sleep and with no one to talk, worrying about his performance. He would have loved to talk to him, to also vent about how he was feeling.

“How so?” Louis asked as they walked along inside the arena and were being led again to the seated waiting area.

“I managed to mess up the lyrics, I kinda mumbled one entire line and tried to make it up by trying to hit a higher note where there wasn’t one, so you can imagine it didn’t quite work as well as I thought it would.” Harry’s voice was so small Louis didn’t know what to do but hug the boy right there and then.

“Hey, it’s alright,” Louis said, trying to reassure him somehow.

“It’s really not, but thanks.” Harry laughed humorlessly.

“I mean, I know it’s not,” Louis let go of him, looking at him again as they kept walking, “but that happens. It could’ve been worse, but sometimes people make mistakes, some get more nervous than others and maybe the judges will let that pass if the rest of your performance made up for it, which I’m sure it did. You’re not bad at all, curly. And it’s not only that performance that counts, remember that.”

“Have you met Simon Cowell or are we in a different competition?” Harry tried to joke.

“You might have Nicole on your side, your cuteness might be a point in your favour.” Louis winked at him and Harry shook his head as they found a place to sit.

“And you, how do you think you did?” Harry asked instead of replying to Louis’ comment.

“I don’t know,” Louis sighed, “I left thinking I could’ve done much better. Might have reached a few wrong notes as well and I don’t think I gave the song what it deserves. I know it demands some emotion and I wanted to go for that, but as nervous as I was I just sang it as if it was any other song. I wanted it to be different from my audition, but...”

“Your audition has put you through here, so that’s not nothing.” Now that was Harry trying to cheer Louis up. “But whatever you did there, I’m sure you tried your best, Louis. And think of it, you already did better than me, so.” Harry smiled cheekly at him.

“I’d never outdo you, popstar.” Louis elbowed him, making Harry laugh. “But, thanks. I hope it’s enough for them. And you, don’t you worry, seriously.” He then squeezed one of Harry’s arms, looking directly at him. “It is what it is, but whatever it is, know you did your best. And even if you don’t make it, which I’m sure won’t happen, maybe now it’s not the time then, but soon it will be. It happened with me before and now I’m here. Making it this far is already good enough.”

“Yeah, I know. I know all of that, but I just... I really want to make it. I really don’t want it to be a no for me, and neither for you. You also deserve it.”

Louis could see through Harry’s eyes, his sixteen year old jitterish self showing. A boy who wanted nothing more than to prove himself and make it somehow. Louis had been the same before and still was like that, but Harry had something that was just so pure and that shouldn’t go to waste. Harry’s talent should be worth and acknowledged and he deserved a chance. Not making it would devastate him, Louis came to the conclusion, and it was just too unfair.

“You say it like you aren’t already destined to be super famous, but alright. We all deserve it, let’s focus on that, right?” Louis tried to cheer him up again and lighten the mood a little, because with everybody else around them so apprehensive, it was getting hard for Louis to think of things to comfort Harry and not let his own nerves get to him.

Harry only nodded and they moved on with the conversation, also talking to others, and Louis saw Harry trying to cheer some of the girls that were already in tears for how on edge they were. Everybody was on the brink of having a breakdown and as much as Louis wanted to focus on something else, it was very difficult with the tension around them. Harry had changed places to chat with another group he had befriended and when they were all called on stage, Louis couldn’t catch up with him, only giving him an encouraging smile from afar and a thumbs up. They weren’t really going to the stage for the final decision, it was only for an announcement the judges wanted to make before, which obviously increased Louis’ nervousness.

Simon informed them about a couple of changes in the categories. They decided to increase the age limit for the Over 25 category to Over 28 and everyone that was under 28 years old would move either to the boys or girls groups, and instead of six acts for each category, they would choose eight, which would strengthen the competition. That was good news for some and bad news for others and when they all headed backstage to be divided into their own categories so the judges could finally say who would be going to the Judges’ Houses, Louis was once again, for the hundredth time in that week, a nervous wreck.

He didn’t feel like talking to anyone after that, only waiting for the boys to be called on stage. He stayed in the back, watching people walking around and talking and comforting each other and the only thing Louis could do was bite at his own nails, which were almost gone. He almost didn’t see Harry coming into his direction, but the green shirt and the grey beanie he was wearing weren’t so easy to ignore.

“A bit of a shock what they did there, right?” Harry approached him.

“Mhm-hm,” Louis mumbled without taking his fingers from his lips and Harry sent him a very worried look, taking a few steps closer and putting both hands on Louis’ shoulders.

“Now I guess it’s my time to calm you down,” Harry said, looking right at him. It wasn’t very bright backstage in the arena, but Louis could see Harry’s piercing green eyes trying to make him feel better. “As you said to me, we’ve made it this far, so we only should hope for the best. If I don’t make it, I hope you know that I’m putting all my bets on you. If you don’t make it, I know you’ll try again, you shouldn’t give up. If we both don’t make it, it was nice to have gone through this with you. And if we both make it, well, then we’ll have to wait and see.”

For a sixteen year old, Harry was honestly something else. He was still in that stage where he could look like a frightened kid in one minute, terrified of what the future could bring, but in the next, as confident as if he was ready to take on the world no matter what.

“Thanks, curly.” Louis managed to let out a tired but relieved sigh. He put a hand over Harry’s on his shoulder and squeezed it tight. “And I hope you know the feeling is mutual.”

“Good to know.” Harry smiled once again, letting go of Louis’ shoulder, but not distancing himself. “So, you good?”

“Not gonna lie I’m shitting my pants right at this moment, but… everything will be alright, hopefully.”

“Yeah, same. But I think we should pull our shit together right now, because we’re about to be called.” Harry informed as they saw there were only the boys left backstage and they had started moving around.

Louis then followed the lot and Harry was right beside him, but before going on stage, the producers rearranged their order and they had to stay apart in the line in front of the judges.

It was easier when he and Harry had each other to comfort themselves. Louis hadn’t said any of the words he did to Harry just because. They weren’t meaningless, he meant everything he said and truly believed Harry would make it and he hoped Harry believed in him and in himself, first of all. And somehow, what Harry had also told Louis had been important, had helped him a lot. But standing there facing Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Scherzinger and knowing that only eight of them would be going through, it didn’t matter what anyone said or thought. It was a moment of pure tension that seemed to linger forever and each name that was called and it wasn’t Louis’ and neither Harry’s, it was as if the world would end right there and as if Louis’ life depended on it.

There was only one name left to be called and Louis glanced at Harry briefly to see the boy with a stoic face, so tense Louis thought he wasn’t even breathing. Louis was almost out of breath himself, his heart daring to jump out of his chest at any moment and when Simon took the microphone in hand, everything stood still.

“And the final contestant who has made it through is Tom Richards,” Simon announced and it was as if Louis’ heart had sunk to his stomach.

He hadn’t made it through.

He wasn’t sure he was able to have any reaction out of that. He didn’t even felt like crying. It was only a feeling of emptiness and not knowing what to do. He clapped along with the other contestants who had been left behind as Tom left the stage crying, but there wasn’t any real enthusiasm in it.

“That was it, guys. Really, really sorry.” Simon said lastly and Louis could see commotion around him, could hear quiet sobs coming from the other boys and he didn’t even notice he had started moving until he was backstage again.

He saw Liam crying as Dermont O’Leary hugged the kid and Louis only took a deep breath and continued walking, some other now eliminated contestants patting him on the back, saying comforting words to each other.

It was a hard pill to swallow. It wasn’t quite difficult to believe, though. Louis knew he had given his best, but deep down he knew there were people way more talented than him and each one of the boys who were called certainly deserved their places in there.

Louis was gutted, of course, not only for him, but for everyone who had been sent home and more specially for Harry, whom he had been so sure would go through.

It took him a second to start looking for the boy again. He didn’t even see Harry leaving the stage, he didn’t know in which state he was and he wanted so bad to say something to him again, to make sure that Harry knew that this didn’t need to be the end for him. He needed to know that Harry was alright, even if Louis himself wasn’t.

He didn’t have time to go after Harry, though, because before he could, someone from the production approached him and requested him and a few others to follow after them.

Louis thought that was weird, since everyone else was already picking up their stuff and leaving, but he followed them, because there was nothing else for him to do. If it was to tell him any other bad news, there wasn’t anything that could affect Louis any more than everything else already had.

Among a few of the boys who had gathered backstage again, the producers started calling names again. First it was Zayn Malik, then it was Liam Payne, then Niall Horan and at last, Louis.

All four of them were very confused by that, but something inside Louis was starting to give him hope that whatever it was, it didn’t look like it was going to be something bad. Still, he was apprehensive. Biting his nails didn’t seem to be enough to calm him down, and Niall beside him was almost eating his own entire hand. Zayn and Liam looked a bit more collected, but with very tense expressions. They went back to the stage nonetheless, trying to hope for the best.

Up there again, Louis saw another group of girls also coming to stand next to them and when they all stopped in front of the judges, the four boys huddled together, hands on each other’s shoulders, and the girls holding hands, Nicole was the one to address them, very calmly.

“Hello, thank you so much for coming back,” she started and they all replied her with a few shaky “hi’s”. “I know that judging by some of your faces this is really hard, but we thought long and hard about it, and we thought of each of you as individuals, and we feel you’re all just too talented to let go of. We think it would be a great idea to have two separate groups.”

Louis wasn’t quite believing what he was hearing, and he didn’t even notice that his face started to open up, a small smile forming as he looked to the other three boys to see the astonished look on their faces as well.

“We decided to put you both through the Judges’ Houses,” Simon said the last words and it was as if everything that was holding Louis back, every bit of sadness from the previous elimination had all vanished in the blink of an eye.

He started jumping around with the other boys, giving them a group hug as the girls screamed beside them and did the same.

That was completely unexpected. Of all the outcomes, even as disappointing as it had been, he knew there was only a very slim chance of him being called before or he would have been eliminated for good, but to be given a second chance and to do it with the other boys, that was as if all the doors that were closed at him had been opened again.

Simon started talking once more, saying that it would be a lifeline, they would have to work so hard together and take that opportunity and as terrifying as it was, it was different now. It was a good thrill to be given that chance, to be able to seize it and try harder than before, harder than ever.

“We’re through, lads!” Niall yelled at them, bringing the boys together again into a hug and Louis couldn’t quite contain his happiness and couldn’t quite believe his luck this time.

He had made it through and for that, he wouldn’t waste a minute to make sure he made it wherever life would take him.

It was only when they went backstage again to finally gather their stuff and go home, that Louis thought about Harry. He was already walking outside with the boys when he thought he glimpsed a head of curls walking in the distance. He knew it was Harry and he was about to go to him when Zayn’s hand pulled him back to sit on the stairs outside the Wembley Arena and his phone started ringing with his mum’s name on the display.

He looked one more time to where he had seen Harry go, but he didn’t see him anymore. There was a knot in his stomach, wondering if that had been the last he had seen of Harry and if he would ever get another chance to talk to him. But there wasn’t much time to dwell about it then, because he had to talk to his mum and had a lot to talk to the boys that would now be his anchors through the competition.

“Hey, mum! Can’t talk right now, they’ve put me in a band!” Louis answered the phone as Niall, Zayn and Liam cheered beside him, making him laugh and wash away any worried thoughts.


	2. The Blind Auditions - The Voice Kids UK (2022)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here's another chapter! And this time, we'll finally find out what happened with Harry and Louis after 12 years ;)
> 
> Hope you all enjoy it! :D
> 
> xx Ste

_I wanna write you a song_  
_One to make your heart remember me_  
_So any time I'm gone_  
_You can listen to my voice and sing along  
I wanna write you a song_

_♪_

 

“It crushes my heart to see their little faces when we don’t turn for them,” Pixie says as all three coaches’ chairs start turning back around to the crowd again.

“It’s not like we don’t want to turn. I really did, I was just waiting until the last moment to see if something clicked, but it didn’t. Was it like that for you too, Louis?” Danny looks so downhearted as he addresses Louis.

Louis is pursing his lips, also feeling dejected for the girl all three of them had let go. Sometimes it’s easy to make up their minds to decide if they should turn or not, sometimes it takes a while for the little singers to show their real potential and sometimes, even if they can see the kid has talent, as much as they want to take everyone who sings into their teams, they can’t. It’s a competition after all, and they have to make decisions and with that comes the disappointment for these kids who are looking for a chance to shine.

“I don’t know what I was waiting for with her, she sounded really nice, but somehow it wasn’t something we haven’t heard before, ya know? It’s just tough to have to pick out something different from all these talented kids,” Louis replies, facing the crowd in front of him.

One would think it would become easier and almost automatic to do what he does after six years being a coach on The Voice Kids, but each year they are met with different challenges and decisions. It’s also what gives Louis a thrill, because with each kid that they are presented and have the chance to work with and help improve, that’s the best feeling in the world for him.

He has learned for years now that having the opportunity he had could bring so much more, not only for him, but for others too. When he was asked to join the show as he was about to finally take some time for himself and work on his solo album after being on a break from One Direction, he didn’t know if he was the right person to do it or if he was ready to take on another responsibility after five long and tiring (but also exciting and rewarding) years working nonstop.

Now, Louis can’t help but think that it was one of the best decisions of his career. He’s glad the show has become quite popular that it has given him the opportunity to come back every year and do it all again. Even with him and the boys returning from the hiatus and getting back on tour with a new album, Louis has managed to make room in his schedule to be there along with Pixie Lott and Danny Jones.

With his coworkers and a crowd that always engages with them, the experience is always more fun than it should be demanding, and obviously, he wouldn’t be there if it weren’t for all those little kids who dream of making it big or of just having the opportunity to show the world their talent. Each year there are always surprises and kids that will impress them beyond their expectations. Sometimes it’s devastating that not everyone they think has a chance actually wins the competition, but the coaches make sure the kids have fun during the whole course of the competition, letting them know that they just had a massive opportunity for their future and that they can go very far with the talent they have.

Louis has been content with his team winning a couple of the shows, his first one on the third series and last year as well, and he can’t wait to have his team formed with the twelve singers he chooses or that will choose him to be able to work hard with them so they have a shot at the Live Final a few months down the road.

“Alright, guys. We’re ready for our next act,” Jo, the floor manager, informs through the speakers and the audience goes quiet, waiting for the next kid to come up on stage.

“Let’s hope this one brings that extra thing, then.” Pixie crosses her fingers and Louis nods as the lights in the studio change for the performance.

There are murmurs coming from the crowd and Louis can see the face on some of the people in front of him light up, a few of them even cooing and Louis already knows it must be a very cute kid that has just stepped on stage.

“Here comes another cutie one,” Danny says and smiles widely before the first notes of the song starts.

It takes less then five seconds for Louis to know what song it is and he shakes his head in awe, laughing lightly. The soft riff of the guitar is not one of One Direction’s most recognisable melodies, so Louis is intrigued as to why someone would choose that one.

“ _I wanna write you a song, one as beautiful as you are sweet, with just a hint of pain for the feeling that I get when you are gone, I wanna write you a song_.”

A very sweet and calm girly voice sings and Louis can’t help but smile softly at that, because the song is already soothing as it is, but the way the girl seems to be singing, it makes it even more precious.

“ _I wanna lend you my coat, one that’s as soft as your cheek, so when the world is cold you’ll have a hiding place you can go, I wanna lend you my coat._ ”

The song continues and Louis knows it will look biased to turn just because it’s a song from his band. He has already done that as, as it’s been expected, many contestants who have gone through the Blind Auditions have chosen to sing a One Direction song before, be it to impress Louis or just because it was really one of their favorite songs. Usually it’s one of their most famous ones, more than once someone has sung What Makes You Beautiful, so it’s not that Louis is actually surprised by it, but he’s more impressed by the song choice and how it suits the voice singing it so beautifully.

He looks to his side to see Pixie smiling as well, and watches as the crowd is already yelling at them to press the button, so he waits for the chorus to come to finally make his decision.

“ _Uh-uuuh, everything I need I get from you, uuuh-uuuh, uh-uuuh and giving back is all I wanna do, uuuh-uuuh._ ”

And it’s because the girl sings the chorus that Louis carries so perfectly that he pushes the button and turns his chair around without overthinking his decision.

The audience cheers and Louis understands their reaction before the girl had started to sing. He is looking at a tiny girl, wearing a red dress, her light brown hair loosely falling over her shoulders with a shiny tiara on top of her head. She looks as precious as her voice sounds and is smiling widely when she sees Louis facing her.

He opens an even bigger smile and shows her two thumbs up as she continues to sing, skipping the second verse as it’s customary, so she follows with the chorus again, pushing the notes a little, showing Louis that she can also have a stronger voice. That seems to make it for Pixie too, because she turns next, swooning at the sight of the girl in front of them, leading both hands to press her own cheeks in a delighted gesture.

“ _I wanna write you a song, one to make your heart remember me, so any time I’m gone, you can listen to my voice and sing along, I wanna write you a song, I wanna write you a song._ ”

She finishes the song, bringing an emotional touch to it as she holds the microphone and closes her eyes, making the audience cheer loudly for her. Danny’s chair turns automatically so he can face her too and he lets out a very loud “aw” followed by his characteristic laughter and Louis and Pixie clap for the girl, who preens at the attention, looking back at them timidly, almost trying to hide her face against her shoulder.

“Oh my goodness,” Pixie beats Louis at speaking to the girl first, “aren’t you a sweetheart! What’s your name?”

“I’m Lily, from Manchester,” the girl says, after breathing in deep, keeping the smile on her face.

“And how old are you, Lily?” Pixie asks again.

“I just turned eight,” Lily answers, still a bit shy but Louis can see that initial nervousness from performing is going away.

“Wow, Lily, you sound amazing for an eight year old,” Louis interjects, taking the opportunity to finally speak to her. “And not only because you sang One Direction,” he jokes, earning a few laughs from the audience and making Lily blush a little.

“Oh, so you got another one! I didn’t recognise that,” Danny speaks. “We should keep tabs, I already had a McFly one on this turn, and now you’ve got one for you too.”

“Yeah, it’s one of mine,” Louis nods proudly and brings his attention back to Lily, “and I’m honoured by the fact that you chose this song and did an amazing job with it. May I ask why you chose this one? It’s not a very common choice, but I’m glad it was yours,” Louis compliments her, letting his curiosity take over him to know what prompted the little girl to go with the song.

Lily laughs shyly and Louis can see she quickly glances over at the side of the stage, where her family is watching her, before speaking again.

“I love this song a lot. I chose it because of my dad,” she points exactly to that direction, and Louis also glaces that way briefly, “because he was... Well, he still is a massive One Direction fan,” she giggles and Louis raises an eyebrow, looking back at Lily, “and we have been singing One Direction songs since I was very little, and I Want To Write You a Song is actually one of the first songs I’ve learned how to sing, because my dad used to sing it for me as a lullaby.”

The audience and also Pixie and Danny let out severals coos and aws and Louis can’t contain feeling flattered by the confession.

“That sounds lovely, Lily,” he says as he places a hand over his chest to show his appreciation, “and I must say, your dad must be a really cool guy if he likes One Direction this much,” he jokes and looks again to the side of the stage, but he can’t see much because it looks like Emma Willis is hugging who appears to be Lily’s dad.

“He is!” Lily sounds completely proud of her dad when she replies. “He’s very cool, he’s a baker, you know?” The crowd laughs again and Louis does as well. “But he’s even cooler because he actually met you before!”

“Is that so?” Louis is taken by surprise by that, frowning a bit but not in a rude way. Pixie and Danny look at him curiously, also intrigued by that piece of information.

It’s starting to sound like Lily’s dad is an actual fanboy, must’ve been to some of One Direction’s concerts, maybe have met them over a Meet and Greet or something. Not that Louis would actually remember him if they have really met in person some point over the past twelve years, but he’s happy that the lad had the chance to, as it’s not everyone who is able to, even if it’s by chance.

“Yeah,” Lily nods enthusiastically, “he auditioned with you before One Direction on the… other show? But he didn’t make it through.” She says it like she was not supposed to say the name of The X-Factor, and Louis wants to laugh at that, but he is too curious now to know more about it.

Lily’s father isn’t just a casual fan, then. He was someone from the X-Factor and Louis wonders who, from the hundreds of people Louis had seen and met in the different phases of the show, Lily’s father is.

“Oh, what’s your dad’s name, then? Maybe I’ll remember him,” Louis says and he knows he’s prolonging Lily’s time on stage and he can see the producers giving him a few annoyed looks, but he also knows that chatting with the contestants can always be interesting to include in the show’s edition, so he isn’t actually sorry for doing that, specially because now he has to know if he recalls Lily’s dad or not.

“It’s Harry, he’s right there,” she answers and points again to the side of the stage and Louis doesn’t hesitate to take a close look into the direction, “with my grandma and my auntie,” Lily continues, and everyone in the audience seem to have turned their attention to the path that leads to the room on the side of the stage where the parents and family of the contests always watch their performances along with the host Emma Willis.

And as he had suspected before, Emma is really hugging the man, but now she is also laughing and trying to make him look back at the stage, taking his hands from off his face as he tries to hide himself. Louis laughs at that, seeing how embarrassed he seems to be.

“Hello Lily’s dad, don’t be shy!” Pixie says, indulging him to interact with them on stage and the man gives in, shaking his head and laughing as he looks up and Louis can finally see his face.

It’s like something clicks for him. He hadn’t even paid attention to the name when Lily first said it, but as soon as he looks at the man, the name catches up with the face.

_Harry._

Louis can’t see much from afar, obviously, and also it’s been almost twelve years since Louis last saw the boy’s – now a man – face, but he knows it’s him. How could it not be?

Harry, whom he met at bootcamp, that cute boy with a head full of curls, shiny green eyes, rosy lips, a voice of an angel, who happened to pee on him. Of course he would remember Harry.

He’s not the same as Louis remembers him, though. The mop of curls is not there anymore, replaced by a shorter, more wavy and not so wild hairstyle. Instead of the cherub sixteen year old boy that Louis had been infatuated by for a week, Louis sees a tall, lean man who still looks as beautiful as the day Louis met him, with a dimpled smile that at the moment looks shy but that is as endearing as it was back then.

It’s a weird feeling to be suddenly hit with his eighteen year old memories and feelings, ones he didn’t even know he still had. It’s been too long since he last thought about Harry, about his days at bootcamp if he’s honest. He has lived a lifetime of different things and experiences since then and it’s not like he chose to lock away any thoughts of Harry. Life happened and he couldn’t sulk for a boy he knew it was very unlikely he would hear of or see again, so he moved on after not being able to talk to Harry one last time after he was sent home and Louis had been put together in a group with the other boys. He had thought about Harry after that a few times, but just as a nice memory from his initial days at the X-Factor. Never would he think he’d be facing the boy again, specially not on national television where his daughter would be singing to Louis. It’s a lot to take in, a lot to wonder what had happened to Harry after and Louis doesn’t know where to begin.

“There he is, yeah, I remember him,” Louis manages to say, laughing a bit to cover his thoughts. “Hello Harry, nice to see you again after so long,” Louis waves at him and he can see the man is trying to hide his face again, but now another woman is holding his arm and looking very pleased to see Harry get embarrassed. “I see you decided to become a baker instead of a popstar,” he jokes, remembering how back then he had been sure Harry had been destined to make it to stardom, “but you seem to have well passed your passion and talent on to your daughter,” Louis praises Lily, because it’s true, now that he knows the girl and Harry are related and thinks about the similarities between them, “as well as your good taste in music,” he teases, winking in Harry’s direction, not missing the opportunity to take advantage of the fact that he knows Harry has apparently become a huge fan of One Direction, as Lily made sure to expose her father’s fanboy secrets to everyone.

Louis can’t see very well from that far and with all the light from the studio in the way, but he thinks he has made Harry blush as the man shakes his head and Louis can make out him saying a “Oh God” as Emma and the two other women beside him laugh.

Pixie is laughing beside Louis too when she brings the attention back to Lily again. “Louis is right, you’re very talented Lily, I’m sure your father is as well and has influenced you a lot to start singing.”

“Yeah, thanks,” Lily replies, chuckling shyly.

“And I’d love to have you on my team, you have something quite special, you know? I know I might be shooting in the dark here because I feel you might be a little biased on your decision between me and Louis, because of this whole One Direction deal, but I need to give my pitch, right?”

Louis rolls his eyes playfully at Pixie as Lily only laughs again.

“You’re being jealous, that’s what, Pix,” he says in a sassy way to Pixie and then looks back at Lily, “you can be biased all you want, Lily, I’d never complain,” the audience laughs one more time. “I’m kidding, love, but for real, you are completely free to choose whoever you want. I won’t lie, I’ll be absolutely thrilled to have you on my team. You really have a special voice and I can see ways to help you improve so much, but it’s totally up to you to choose whoever you want,” Louis assures her, because even though he suspects Lily might have already made her decision, he wants her to know that there’s no pressure, she is the one to call the shots.

“I might be wrong,” Danny chimes in, “but I’d say you already came here today with your mind set on who you’d want to be your coach, right?”

“Yes,” she says, a bit more confident and both Pixie and Danny look at Louis with knowing expressions and Louis can’t help but feel a bit smug about it.

“Who do you choose to be your coach, then?” Danny asks lastly.

“It has to be Louis,” Lily answers smiling widely without waiting a beat and Louis gets up, cheering happily when everyone in the studio celebrates the decision.

He makes his way to the stage as Lily comes down and meets him halfway. Looking at her more closely, he can totally see some resemblance with Harry. The same shiny green eyes and also the dimples on her cheeks as she smiles openly at him.

“Welcome to team Louis, love,” he congratulates her as they hug.

Lily returns the hug tightly. “Thank you!” She replies enthusiastically and lets go. Pixie is right beside her to give her a quick hug too and Danny high-fives her before Lily heads out of the stage to go backstage and meet her family.

“That was an easy one, you’ve had her since the beginning. I didn’t stand a chance,” Pixie tells him, jokingly.

“Not my fault her dad wasn’t an avid Pixie Lott fan in his teenage years.” Louis shrugs unashamedly and Danny lets out a high pitched laughter.

“Wish he had been a McFly fan then, we’d have quite the dispute there,” he says as they walk back to their chairs.

Louis only shakes his head and before he sits down, he looks back to the side of the stage to see Lily finally meeting with her family again. Harry is hugging her and for a brief moment, he looks back up and locks his eyes with Louis. Before he can think of it, Louis quickly waves at him and then turns around, getting on his chair before it turns around so they can wait for the next Blind Audition.

It’s too soon to say, but Louis is more than content with how that audition turned out. Lily really seems to be an amazing and very talented kid. Louis is proper excited to have her on his team and work with her, and to actually get to talk to Harry again after all those years, he can’t deny that.

It’s certainly going to be interesting, the least. Whatever happens next, he can’t wait for it.

 

*

 

“Was there any doubt she wouldn’t go with Louis?” Emma Willis asks and Harry is still recovering from all the embarrassment his own daughter had put him through to give her a proper answer.

He only laughs as Gemma and his mother are cheering beside him.

“Not at all,” Gemma answers for him, enveloping an arm around Harry’s shoulder.

“If she didn’t, Harry would go there himself and make her choose him,” Anne adds and Harry wants to vanish right there and then.

When he woke up that morning and headed to the ITV studios with Lily, his mum and sister, he only hoped that Lily would get at least one coach to turn for her, it didn’t even need to be Louis. What he didn’t expect was that the spotlight would shift from his daughter to him, that Lily would expose him like that and that Louis would actually talk to him and say that he remembered him.

There’s too much going on for him to process how he’s feeling at the moment. He can’t say how happy he is that Lily got a place on Louis’ team, but at the same time he is completely embarrassed for how things had gone down. He is sure he failed so badly to hide it and he can’t even imagine what reactions the cameras have caught of him. And it’s not like he has never been on camera doing something embarrassing, he has been on a competition himself, with cameras showing him singing poorly, dancing comically and even crying on camera, for Christ’s sake. But that had been when he was sixteen and now he’s a grown man, being made fun of by his own daughter and the man he had been a fan of for over 10 years.

As Lily comes from the stage to meet them, Harry thinks it’s better to ignore the embarrassment. Now is not the time to dwell on how he is feeling. Now it’s Lily’s time and the pride takes over him when she appears smiling so widely that Harry forgets everything else.

He welcomes her with open arms and she buries her face on his neck. He can feel his mother’s and sister’s arms around them and all he thinks of is that his little girl has made it. He looks up for a moment at the stage again to see Louis looking their way. It’s the first time Harry is properly looking at the man that night and he knows he can’t do or say anything, but he hopes Louis knows how grateful he is for him having turned for his daughter.

It’s something very quick, but Harry sees Louis waving at them before he sits back on his chair and Harry smiles at that, feeling something inside him he doesn’t quite know how to describe what it is.

“I’m so proud of you, petal,” Harry says, his attention back to Lily as he kisses the top of her head.

“Lilipad, you were amazing!” Gemma congratulates her, squeezing them all together.

All Harry hears from Anne is a soft sob and he understands how she’s feeling because he too can feel some tears gathering in his eyes.

“Well done, Lily!” Emma says and that’s what makes Lily break from the hug from her family and Harry lets her go to talk to the show host. “How do you feel about being on Team Louis?”

“I’m over the moon!” Lily replies cheerfully and Harry thinks her cheeks might be hurting from how wide she can’t stop smiling.

“We’ll see you at the battles then!” Emma high-fives her and Lily seems to be very enthusiastic, squealing a bit and jumping excitedly.

“Alright, you guys. You lot can go back backstage now, to the same waiting lounge you had been before,” one of the producers informs them as the cameras seem to go off after they caught their interaction. “We ask you to wait there until the taping is over, because the coaches will talk to each contestant individually and we’ll give you instructions about the next step in the competition. Then you are clear to go.”

“Sure, no problem,” Harry replies nodding, taking Lily by the hand as his mother takes her by the other and Gemma walks beside them as they head backstage.

“Can you believe it, Lily? You’ll come back for the battles, sweetpea!” Anne pinches her cheeks and Lily giggles, amusedly looking up at her grandmother.

“And you got to meet Louis, finally!” Gemma says and Harry can notice the teasing tone in her voice. “Who is more excited about that, you or your dad, Lils?”

Harry squints his eyes at his sister as she pokes him on the ribs. “Gemma!”

“I know dad likes Louis a lot,” Lily looks up at Harry with a smug smile, “and he’s already met him, so I think this time I am.”

“He’s met him before he was famous, he hasn’t met popstar Louis Tomlinson, so that’s different,” his sister points out, laughing, “it’s his time to be a proper fan boy now.”

“Don’t embarrass me, dad, please,” Lily adds and Harry can’t believe she is worried about him embarrassing her. He knows, though, that she is teasing, because when she is with Gemma, that’s their favorite things to do to him.

“More than you already embarrassed me? Excuse you, young lady.” Harry sends her a serious look, one that has no impact, because it only makes Lily giggle.

“I only said the truth, dad!” She says, her little voice with no trace of guilty in it. “You love One Direction, we sing One Direction together all the time and you’ve met Louis before. Wasn’t I supposed to say that?”

“She’s right, sweetheart,” Anne chimes in and Harry can’t believe his own family is stabbing him in his back right in the open like that. “She said nothing wrong, you only felt under the spotlight because Louis talked to you.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you blush so much in your life as you’ve done tonight, Haz. Imagine when you’re in front of him later,” Gemma laughs and Harry swears he is going to dishonor every member of his family.

“I can’t wait to see you blushing on camera when we watch it on the telly, dad.” Lily squeezes their hands together and gives Harry an innocent look before laughing softly.

“I hate you all so much,” he sighs tiredly as they finally approach the waiting area.

“No you don’t.” Gemma ruffles his hair, poking her tongue out at him and he shakes his head, doing the same at her. “Specially not your daughter.”

“Of course not, what kind of father do you think I am?” Harry retorts as he finds a place to sit again and pulls Lily to sit on his lap. “I love you so much, petal. And I’m so proud of you, don’t doubt that. You were incredible.” He kisses her cheek.

“Thanks, dad. I couldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for you. Love you too,” Lily chuckles and hugs him again and if that is not the best feeling in the world, Harry doesn’t know what it is.

Lily might be messing with him along with the rest of his family, but he knows it’s just silly banter and of course he is not mad at her. He loves her more than anything, she is his entire life and right at that moment, he couldn’t be any prouder of her. If he can’t stop saying it it’s because it’s only the most absolute truth and maybe it’s not even enough to express how he’s actually feeling.

Being a parent is like that, Harry has learned over the eight years Lily has been in his life – is feeling like all the love you have for your child will never be able to be measured or expressed the way it truly deserves. Everything Lily does and is, Harry has only so much to thank and he knows he’s biased (which parent isn’t anyway?) when he says that Lily is one special little girl, one with a talent beyond Harry had ever imagined.

His mother has always said that Lily is just like Harry when he was little, but Harry is sure that he wasn’t half of what his daughter is and he makes sure to let her know that and to encourage her to go after what she wants. Lily loves singing and Harry is partially (more like totally) guilty for that, only because when he couldn’t go after his dream, he found a very little someone who would smile at him as if the whole world shifted around Harry whenever he sang for her and maybe Lily is biased too to think that Harry is the greatest singer she knows, but to hear that from his daughter, to hear her saying that she wants to sing like her dad does, it made Harry never want to stop singing for her and with her, so the little girl developed a passion for music too.

Even loving singing as she does, Harry had never thought she would be interested in being in a competition before, specially not as young as she is, but with the encouragement from Anne and to see Lily getting excited about it, there they are now. Of course, having Louis on the show and Gemma teasing her with the possibility of meeting one of her favorite artists, that was another point in favor of applying her for the show. They have watched The Voice Kids for as long as the show has been running and it’s not only because Lily has been showered with everything One Direction since she was a baby (Harry can’t even be sorry about that) that she had said since the producers auditions that she wanted Louis to be her coach. They have always seen him with his teams and she’s always loved how he interacts with the kids and helps them, besides being very talented.

It’s hard not to agree when Harry has been following Louis’ career since the X-Factor. He might’ve been sent home and never got a chance to properly know Louis, but he remembers telling him once that, if he didn’t make it and Louis did, he was putting all his bets on him, and that’s what he did when he found out Louis had continued on the competition and One Direction made it to third place. Following Louis and the other boys’ journey on the show and afterwards was not only a way to know what he’d been up to, but a way for Harry to confirm what he already knew, that Louis was very talented and deserved all the recognition and fame he got for it. It might’ve started with a little obsession, he can’t deny it, because he felt kinda guilty that he had missed the chance to get to know Louis better back then and to keep in contact with him, when Harry had obviously been charmed by Louis even before talking to him in the bathroom. After knowing that there was nothing he could do to turn back time and maybe get Louis’ number, Harry decided the best he could do was appreciate him from afar, seeing him become the star he knew Louis would be.

And maybe Gemma had been joking, but Harry knows he’s actually shitting his pants internally to meet Louis again, actual Louis Tomlinson from One Direction. It’s been twelve years and as much as Harry cherishes the boy he had met, he knows Louis isn’t the same as he was when he was eighteen. There isn’t a real reason for being nervous for talking to Louis again, though. Even if Harry hasn’t been close to the man since their days at bootcamp, he has seen him before, he has gone to a few One Direction concerts, and obviously he knows a few things about Louis’ life. He shouldn’t be starstruck, but still, there’s something that is making him jitterish as they wait for the rest of the auditions to finish and the coaches to come back to talk to all the contestants that have been selected to go to the next stage of the show.

They’ve been at the seated waiting lounge for a while, talking to the other kids that had already performed or that are still waiting for their turn. Harry watches some of them recording some parts for the show just like Lily had done before her audition and she appears again in a few of them, interacting with the kids while Harry, his mum and Gemma get to know the other parents from the kids that have made it through the Blind Auditions. It seems like they’ve been waiting for hours when the producers inform that the auditions are over and that the coaches will be coming over in a few to talk to their teams.

The kids are separated into their respective teams and it doesn’t take long until Pixie Lott is the first one to appear and for the kids to go crazy for her. Next is Danny Jones, high-fiving every kid in his team and then it’s Louis’ turn to make an entrance. Now that Harry is seeing him in full, he is almost taken aback for how good the man looks, sporting a simple blue suit over a plain white tee and his hair in quiff that has still somehow survived the long day of filming inside a studio. Harry already knew that Louis was handsome, he has watched him grow into the gorgeous man he is looking at now, but from this close, the view in front of him is breathtaking.

“Here he comes, Lils,” Gemma says to Lily, who is now sitting on her lap.

“I’m so excited!” She replies and Harry can’t help but smile softly at her.

“Let’s wait for him to talk to the others. You and your dad will have some minutes to calm down before he comes to us.” Gemma looks at Harry, cheekily winking at him.

“Don’t start it, Gems, please.” He shakes his head, trying to ignore her teasing. Anne laughs at the banter between her children, putting an arm around Harry and soothing his arm up and down as all four of them stand up to wait for Louis.

Harry observes as Louis talks to each family with a smile on his face, mostly giving his attention to the kid and Harry notices how important it makes the little ones feel. It’s obvious Louis knows what he is doing and how to treat them as they deserve, and it makes Harry admire Louis even more for that.

Louis makes his round with each contestant, not taking too long with them and soon, he is making his way to talk to Lily. Harry tries to pretend he has his nerves under control, because he needs to look like a normal person, a proper twenty-eight year old man and not some teenager who is in front of their favorite artist.

“Lily, the One Direction number one fan!” Louis addresses them excitedly and Lily chuckles shyly and Harry knows she is as nervous as she is. “Oh, sorry, my bad. I meant, the second biggest One Direction fan. Of course the first one would be your dad here,” Louis corrects himself, jokingly.

If Harry had been nervous before, now Louis only makes him want to disappear and forget he has ever met him in his life. Obviously Louis wouldn’t forget about what Lily had said on stage and Harry should expect him to tease him about it, with his knowledge of Louis always being one to make fun of most of situations. And maybe that’s why Harry had been nervous, because to be under Louis’ attention after so many years, only to be mocked by him, Harry didn’t know if it was a curse or a blessing.

Lily, Anne and Gemma are laughing beside him and Harry fails to give Louis any answer and he hates himself that he can feel his cheeks blushing. Damn it Louis Tomlinson for making him blush twice on the same night.

Louis winks at him and Harry feels like he wants to die right there and then but before he can actually think of ways to escape this chat with Louis, the man turns his attention back to Lily.

“But we’re not here to talk about your dad, are we? How are you feeling about being on Team Louis? I can say for meself that I’m so happy you chose to sing I Want To Write You a Song, making me turn for you because you were amazing and I can’t wait to work with you,” he says and Harry can see Lily slowly let her shy guard down.

“I’m super excited! Thank you for turning for me!” She replies cheerfully.

“You’re very welcome, love. It’s gonna be so nice to have you, you’re very talented, I see you take after your dad if I remember him right.” Louis smiles and looks at Harry again and Harry isn’t sure he’s able to blush even more but he feels his cheeks flushing again.

Lily’s eyes grow with glee. “You should hear him singing one day!”

“Oh, but I have already!” Louis winks at Harry again. “When we were on the X-Factor, I even told him he’d have more chances than me to make it because I thought he was way more talented than me.”

“You really remember him, then?” Lily seems surprised by that and so is Harry. He wasn’t sure Louis actually recalled their time at bootcamp, but apparently Louis remembers it well what they had talked about so long ago.

“Of course,” Louis nods, “it’s quite hard to forget someone you meet in the bathroom,” he laughs, and winks once again at Harry and Harry wants to be anywhere else but there, because how could he forget that? How could he forget he had actually peed on Louis? His sixteen year old self was truly something else and Harry wants to laugh because he should've been really embarrassed of that back then, even more than he is feeling right now for this whole encounter with Louis, but he remembers how unapologetically he had been for that, thinking he had been smug enough to call Louis attention by peeing on him. What was wrong with him back then, seriously?

Thank God, though, Louis didn’t mention that particular incident, because Harry never told anybody about it and apparently Louis has also kept it to himself, but he still remembers it, which is just something else to add to the things Harry is feeling embarrassed for in front of Louis Tomlinson.

“So Harry didn’t lie when he said he met you in the toilet,” Gemma joins the conversation. “I’ve always believed he had made it up just because he wanted to be different from everyone else who had met you. Sorry to jump in, I’m Gemma, Lily’s aunt.”

Louis laughs again, extending his hand to shake Gemma’s. “Nice to meet you Gemma, and no, he wasn’t, that’s absolutely true. Weird meeting place, but yeah. Then we talked some more after that, wasn’t it?” Louis addresses Harry openly now and Harry has to find every strength in himself to actually say something back to Louis.

“Yeah,” it comes out a little shaky, but at least he doesn’t look dumbfounded to talk to him, “we did. You better never doubt me again, Gemma.” Harry tries to joke at his sister, not confident enough to keep saying anything else to Louis, which only earns him an eye roll from Gemma.

“You were the subject of lots of arguing between these two, Mr. Tomlinson,” Anne says, with a bit of amusement in her tone.

“Call me Louis, please Mrs. Styles.” Louis turns to greet Harry’s mother.

“It’s actually Twist, but you can call me Anne, thank you,” Anne corrects Louis in soft manner and Harry is finally happy that he is not the only member of his family to be blushing because of Louis anymore.

“Of course, Anne. And I don’t know if I should feel flattered or not about that, but I think I’ll go with happy that Harry kept his word somehow, becoming a very vivid One Direction fan and indulging Lily into it as well, otherwise she wouldn’t be here, right?”

Louis looks back at Lily and she only nods at him and Harry is glad that they have stopped talking about him, because that’s not what they are there for. And Louis must know that as well, because talking to Lily seems to make his daughter light up some more.

“So, again, let me tell you congratulations for your incredible performance and as I said, I can’t wait to work with you for the battles next time we meet.” Louis’ smile is so sweet and attentive as he speaks looking directly at Lily that Harry is so endeared by that he can’t imagine how Lily must be feeling. “And the producers will soon inform you about when rehearsals will happen, the taping of the episode and all about that,” he continues, but now turns to the adults, looking briefly to Gemma and Anne and then lingering his gaze on Harry, “but I will also be in contact with you. I like to know a bit more of everyone in my team, and I feel like it’s important to talk to the parents about their children, so you can also expect a call from me in the next weeks, if it’s no bother for you.”

Harry knows Louis is speaking professionally, but he feels a thrill to know that Louis is talking about keeping in contact with him. It’s like every dream his sixteen year old self had after the X-Factor coming true and with Louis speaking directly at him, looking right at him with those blue eyes Harry hadn’t seen in person in so long, it felt too personal, too intimate, even if Harry might only be overreacting about it. This was about Lily, obviously, so Louis could help her more and work better with her. It had nothing to do with Harry and with him thinking that Louis wanted to reminisce of the short time they spent together.

“Sure, no problem. Anytime, we’ll be at reach, just ask any of us whatever you want and we’ll be glad to talk to you,” Harry says, a bit out of it, but trying to stay put.

“Great, can’t wait then. And by the way, nice to see you again, Styles.” Louis opens a bigger smile at him, offering his hand to Harry.

“Likewise, Louis.” Harry sounds way too formal for his likes as he takes Louis’ hand in his and for a moment he feels lost as Louis watches him intently. Harry thinks it takes Louis a second longer to stop looking at him and to stop shaking their hands and direct his attention to Lily once more.

“I’ll see you soon then, Lily. Prepare yourself well and you’ll be even more awesome than you were today. Once again, welcome to Team Louis, love.” He raises his hand in her direction for a high-five and Lily claps their hands together.

“Yay!” She exclaims, making not only Louis but also Harry, Gemma and Anne laugh.

“See ya, then. Gotta a few more others to talk to. Take care.” Louis sends all of them a warm smile and wave before stepping away and heading to the family next to them.

“Are you alive, H?” Gemma asks as soon as Louis isn’t within hearing distance.

“Don’t even say anything,” Harry lets out a deep breath he didn’t know he had been holding as he watches Louis walk away from them.

“That went well, sweetheart. Don’t mind your sister,” Anne assures him, shaking her head at Gemma. “The important thing is that he seems proper excited about Lily and helping her. Are you ready to start preparing for the competition, sweetpea?”

“Of course,” Lily confirms, “I can’t let him down now, can I?”

“You won’t, petal,” Harry assures her, “just be yourself, and you’ll do well.”

“Yeah,” she nods and smiles at him. “I can’t believe we met him and he said he’ll call us, dad! Isn’t that great? Can’t wait to talk to him again.”

Lily sounds so excited Harry can’t help but let out a light laugh and bring her into a hug and kiss the top of her head. He’s beyond happy for his daughter and her excitement about the competition and Louis. He can only say he feels the same. He can’t wait for what will come next for them in the following weeks.

 

*

 

Being a coach on The Voice Kids is not an easy work. Some might think it’s not as demanding as it is for the adult version of the show, but for Louis, he takes his jobs very seriously and he knows both Pixie and Danny do it as well. They don’t treat the kids differently because they are kids. They want to pursue a music career, even being that young or singing has been their passion since very little and the competition matters as much to them as to any other person, be them an adult or not.

And it makes Louis crack his head with trying to get to know and understand his team, trying to find out his young acts personalities and styles, because he wants to help them as best as he can. He’s happy with how much he has already done with his previous teams, has never let any of them down, and every now and then he gets a feedback from some of them, letting him know that his advice and tutoring has lead them to continue on the musical path, boosting their confidence.

That’s what he hopes will happen with this team as well, and as he has done previously, he thinks that getting to understand his contestants motives, aspirations and motivations and where they come from is essential for him to know how to start working with each one of them.

He has watched the tapings from the Blind Auditions to review their performances, has seen the parts he had missed before turning for them not only to be familiar with their voices, but with how their stage presence is as well. Not only that, but he can also see their personality, how some are a bit more shy than the others, some having a very strong personality or being very sure of themselves. As he watches them, he is again very impressed with everyone in his team and happy that he had chosen them or that some decided to go with him instead of Danny or Pixie.

But studying their styles and peculiarities is not enough for Louis, he likes to understand them better and as it’s usual, he has made a commitment to also talk to the kids’ parents to know more about them. No one other than the family, the people who have known that kid better than anyone, who really know how they are and what they want, are more suited to help Louis get acquainted with and, if so, more impressed and fond of each one of them.

That’s how, on the week after the Blind Auditions have happened, he starts getting in touch with the families, calling them and chatting for a while and finding out more things that only a few minutes on stage would never tell him.

He starts making phone calls every day, going from the oldest in his team to the youngest. Talking to the parents is always an interesting experience, because at first they mostly get stunned with being on the phone with Louis but then they start opening up and telling him how special and unique their kids are.

Talking to Pearl’s mother, a girl who has a very strong and gothy personality, Louis finds out that she is a typical fourteen year old girl, but with very peculiar music tastes, going from Opera singers to very heavy Rock bands, which doesn’t surprise Louis much, since her audition with Habanera left him very impressed. Even though opera singing is not his forte, Pearl stood out for him, with a very distinct voice that suits her personality very well.

Very different from Pearl, there’s Serenna, a very shy and sweet girl but with a voice of an angel. Since her audition, Louis noticed that she would need some help with her confidence, which was only confirmed by her mother, who told Louis that even though the girl does want to be a professional singer, she still doesn’t believe in herself, not having performed for so many people before, only at Church. Louis believes he can help her blossom into the great singer she has the potential to be.

With Joe’s parents, Louis finds out more about his passion for dancing, one that had caught everyone's attention during his audition when he showed the coaches some moves and even made them dance on stage with him. Louis had identified himself with the boy, because at first he had seemed a little nervous, but Louis could picture his 18 year old self on his audition on the X- Factor and had to trust his guts that the boy had potential to improve much more.

One girl that captivated Louis from the start is Natalie, a girl with so much confidence and stage power. She had told them that she’s part of a choir, but when talking to her parents, Louis found out it wasn’t only that that had motivated her to go after her dream. She loves singing, but she had once been part of  benefit concert for hundreds of people, so now Louis knows better where that thrill for singing had come from.

Speaking of thrill, Zara is another one that surprised Louis. Her performance had been very calm, her voice was so stunning and jazzy, her song choice being on point for that and never would Louis imagine that the girl had a thing for radical experiences. Her dad told Louis that one of her hobbies was to go to theme parks and ride roller coasters, that since very young she had been a thrill seeker, very fearless, and that the only other thing that gave her as much thrill as the wild rides was to perform.

There’s always small facts about these kids that catches Louis by surprise, but what would bind them would be how much they love singing. And not only the older ones would be the most passionate about music, it’s clear for Louis, after working with these kids for years. It doesn’t matter how old these kids are, they always have a reason for enjoying singing so much.

For Connor, it was the influence of his parents. When Louis talked to his father, he was told that he used to be a musician back in the day and that Connor’s mother is an Opera singer. Connor had a very cool vibe on stage, showing his own style and bringing his own rapping to the song, completely unafraid of trying something he has been comfortable with, and something that he has practiced on his own and with his father when they hit his father’s home studio, acting as Connor’s personal producer.

Some other kids only had the inner will and pleasure to sing since very young as a motivation for their passion. With Yvan, who Louis had been taken very aback by the boy’s ability to sing Opera at only eleven years old, it’s like that. He had an interesting story of coming from Russia with his parents and being rejected on the Russia version of the show the previous year. Talking to their parents, Louis found out that that it only motivated the boy to get better and better and also impress people. That one seems to be a perfectionist and Louis considers him as a personal challenge for the competition.

Kaleb, on the other hand, is a very sweet and loving child. When Louis first heard his voice on the Blinds, he would never have guessed the boy would be eleven as well. He had such a powerful voice, singing with his soul, but that suited him perfectly. His mother is very happy that Louis had turned for him, that he actually let one girl from the audience push the button for him and Louis says that he would’ve done it either way _._

There are some kids that don’t leave Louis with any doubts before turning and one of them had been Maya. She is a very sweet girl and Louis was certain he wanted her in his team when he heard her confidence growing as she kept singing Little Mix, which was already a point in her favor. Maya is a very fun girl, her performance had really gotten the audience on their feet, but besides that, he found out that she is kinda brainy, a very intelligent girl that not only sings but also has a passion for Maths. If she’s not singing everywhere at anytime, she’s getting extra tutoring and Louis’ very impressed by how multi talented she is.

Another one that had a special talent was Kamal, a little boy who was very different from most of the other kids Louis has ever had in his team. Kamal comes from an Indian family, a very musical one and had incorporated some aspects of his culture in his singing. When Louis turned for him and saw him playing his own instrument, a harmonium, he knew the boys was very dedicated to keeping his roots, creating a version of his own for the song with the organ.

Every kid Louis got in his team never stopped amusing him and getting to know them is making him even more excited to work with them. He has spent almost a week making calls and finding things to add to an already long list of what impressed him most about these kids.

There’s still two families left for him to contact, the very youngest ones and he has been looking forward to get in touch with them as much as he has with the others, but he can’t lie that there is one in particular that has been on the back of his mind more than the others.

He had to police himself not to call the Styles family at first, mostly only because he wanted to look professional. Not that anyone would actually notice that he had done it, but Louis had already developed a certain way of working through this from the previous years, even as methodic as it was, to help him decide who to put in each trio for the battles. So, calling Lily and her family would be like betraying his own plan of work purely for a curiosity that wouldn’t leave him as he got to know the other contestants.

It was easier to distract himself when thinking about the other kids, but each day that came closer to making that call, Louis couldn’t stop wondering what he would find out about that particular girl and his father.

He knows he shouldn’t be thinking about Lily and Harry as a unit, since Lily was the one he’s supposed to focus on. But how could he not when he had just come across the man after twelve years? From the moment he found out that Harry was _the Harry_ he had met all those years ago, he was nothing but intrigued to know what had happened to him.

Harry hasn’t been on his mind ever since the X-Factor days, but Louis can’t deny that if he were to go back to that time, he would want to do things differently somehow and not lose touch with him. And now, with an opportunity like that presenting itself for Louis, it’s like the universe is giving him another chance. He knows things are much different from back then, not only his life, but mostly Harry’s, who has appeared with a daughter all these years later and Louis wants to know about that, wants to know why Harry apparently gave up a dream he had told Louis about to become a baker and a father (at about 20 years old, if Louis’ math is right).

And Harry’s story is essentially Lily’s story as well and there’s nothing wrong with Louis being curious about it, even if his intentions might have a more personal reason behind them. He shouldn’t turn it into some personal achievement to talk to Harry, but after meeting with the man for a few minutes backstage, Louis can’t help but be eager to do so.

Louis tried to be casual and the most laid back when he got together with them, but he thinks he wasn’t very successful when it came to keeping his cool with Harry. He had seen him from afar when he was watching Lily’s performance, but realised he wasn’t ready to face the man again from so close. He was mesmerised by Harry’s beauty, it was more than he could’ve imagined that sixteen year old boy would turn into. So, as always, Louis disguised his apparent shock at seeing Harry again, by joking and teasing him about his conversation with Lily on stage. And to say that seeing Harry actually blushing in front of him didn’t faze Louis at all would be lying. He had to keep it professional, though, and so he tried (even if he couldn’t take his eyes off Harry and maybe saying in between the lines that he was really looking forward to talking to him again).

And when the day to make that phone call for the Styles’ household arrives, Louis pretends that there’s nothing different about it, it’s just another one, like all the previous calls he has done before. No need to be anxious about it. He’s doing it to know more about Lily, that’s all. If he and Harry engage in some kind of conversation, that’s entirely only for the purpose of Louis’ research for his work with Lily, that’s really what it is.

He dials the number on his phone, recognising the Manchester area code and waits for the line to ring and after the third tone, someone picks up the phone and Louis can’t help but hold his breath for a second.

“Hello,” a woman’s voice answers the phone and Louis tries to sound cool when he speaks.

“Hello, is this from Lily Styles’ house? It’s Louis Tomlinson, from the Voice.” He has recited that line so many times and every time it’s still weird to say his name like that. Not that he expects people to automatically know who he is or where he is from. What’s more weird is people’s reactions. Not weird per se, but sometimes funny.

“Oh my,” the woman says and Louis can notice her surprised tone. “Of course, yes. This is Anne, Lily’s grandma. So nice to hear from you, Mr. Tomlinson.”

Louis laughs, remembering his encounter with the woman backstage. “Nice to speak with you too, Mrs. Twist. You can call me Louis, again, please. No need for the formality.”

“Of course, of course,” Anne laughs as well, “and as I recall, I’ve already told you to call me Anne. Thanks for calling us. You really did, I wasn’t sure you were just saying that for the sake of the show or if you were really going to.”

“Do I really give the impression of being a snobbish celebrity, Anne? I’m sorry for that, but no,” Louis says, trying to reassure her, feeling a little disappointed that the woman wouldn’t believe his words, “you can be certain that I don’t joke around when it comes to these kids. I really care about them and calling the families and getting to know more about them is essential for me. It might’ve taken a while to get in contact with Lily, but it’s only because I have another twelve kids to take care of,” Louis laughs lightly.

“Louis, dear, I would never think of you like that, you were very sweet with our Lily and the other kids there. I was hoping you would, so I could confirm what I’ve known about you and maybe have been gushed about from my son about you for years– that you are a very down to earth person and cares deeply about others. I wouldn’t expect anything else from you.”

Louis feels his cheeks blushing under Anne’s compliment.

“Thank you, Anne. That’s very nice to hear from you,” Louis says and he tries to be casual when he asks about Harry, not wanting to sound like he’s dismissing Anne’s company on the phone. “Talking about your son, would he be available for having a chat with me about Lily?”

“I’m afraid you just missed him,” she replies, a bit sorry, “he just left for the bakery.”

Louis can’t say he doesn’t feel a hint of disappointment to hear that. He would have loved to speak with Harry, had been waiting over a week for that and now, it seems it won’t happen. He can’t be completely upset about it, though. So far he has enjoyed talking with Lily’s grandmother, but it’s not going to be the same as he expected with talking with Harry.

There’s no real reason to tell Anne that he’d rather call another time to speak directly to Harry. Besides, after Lily, he still has another family to call, so it would only delay his work. Now is the only time he’s got and as much as he’d rather have a conversation with Harry, he knows talking to Anne won’t actually be much different from anything the man would have to say about his daughter.

“Ah, that’s okay then. Usually I speak to the parents, but there’s absolutely no problem if we can chat instead, if you have some time now, that’s it. I’d love to.” He tries his best not to show how he’s really feeling.

“Of course, my dear. Talking about Lily is what I do best,” Anne admits and Louis laughs.

“So, what can you tell me about Lily besides the fact that she seems to be a massive One Direction fan?”

Anne lets out a loud laugh and Louis smiles widely to no one in particular but himself, happy with his own joke.

“That has really stuck out, hasn’t it? Well, you can totally put the blame on Harry. The teasing is completely welcome, here at home we will never let it die. But as for Lily, I guess I can say she’s one sweet little girl. She can come across as shy at first, but once she feels comfortable, she’s the life of the party and her passion from singing is one of the best parts of her personality.”

Louis listens as Anne’s tone becomes soft and he can sense how talking about her granddaughter is something that really warms her up.

“She has always sung, since she started talking, basically,” she continues, “Harry has always encouraged her and she takes after him so much with that. She is just like him when he was young, as I mother I can tell that genetics work well like that, even though Harry still has a hard time admitting that he was ever as talented as she is. Every time Lily sings, she lights up every room and everyone around her, reminding me exactly of Harry and I’m so glad he has passed that on to her, because to be honest, I had missed having a happy singing voice around the house so much and I feel so had he.”

What Anne says sparks some curiosity in Louis again, because it feels that somehow along the way, Harry has abandoned his passion for singing and it makes Louis wonder what prompted that.

“I know it must not be my place to ask,” Louis can’t help himself as he interupts Anne, “but I’m a bit curious to know what happened to Harry after the X-Factor. Back when we met, I remember talking to him and how he said that singing was very important to him, he even had a band, right? I feel sorry that he had been sent home so early in the competition. Both of us were terrified of being eliminated, I wish I’d had the time to talk to him after that happened.”

“Yes, you’re very right, Louis. Harry’s always had a very special connection with music, I couldn’t get it out of his head when he decided he wanted to learn how to play the guitar and formed a band with his friends from school. He was really obstinate in following a singing career and when I helped him, applying him for the X-Factor, he was over the moon about it. It was only after his audition that he started to doubt himself a bit, with what Louis Walsh had said to him. He let it affect him somehow and I don’t know, after being eliminated, he was never the same. It was like his light had gone out, I was really worried about him when he gave up everything related to music even though we kept saying that he shouldn’t, that he was very talented to just let it go, but nothing could change his mind.”

Louis is taken aback by that. It’s so hard to believe that a boy, as cheerful as Harry was, would then be completely shaken by an elimination at a competition. Although, Louis remembers now, Harry’s fear of being sent home and how Louis thought back then, how it could devastate the boy. He hoped, after never talking to Harry again, that he had been wrong, but as it turns out, Harry had let it get to him.

“I’m so sorry to hear about that. It sounds like Harry had a rough time after that. That shouldn’t have happened. I remember then, Harry was very talented. I told him many times that he deserved a spot in the competition, I truly believed in him, Anne,” Louis confesses, not feeling ashamed by that.

“Oh, I know Louis. Harry told me, some time after when he was feeling better to talk about the whole experience, that you were one of his rocks during that phase. Even though he believed you were just saying what you did to cheer him up. He also never doubted you’d make it, and he was glad that out of the two of you, you were the one to continue. That’s why he became so invested, when he had let go a bit of the disappointment with himself, in following you and One Direction on the show and after.”

Louis is sudden hit with a nostalgia about the days he spent talking to Harry at bootcamp and how he wishes he could go back to that time and make sure Harry believed in him, and more importantly, hoping he would believe in himself more so he wouldn’t give up his dream.

“I feel flattered to hear that, really. To have someone as Harry as our fan is an honour. He, more than anyone, knows what it took us to get where we are now. I’m just sad that he really didn’t follow through his dream, he would’ve been amazing, Anne. I told him he would be a popstar. Now I feel bad I boosted his ego, only for him to be let down like that.”

“Don’t feel sorry, Louis. You have nothing to do with how Harry felt. He had given up singing because of something he had put inside his head that no one was able to make him believe otherwise. At least, he was able to take that same dedication he had for singing to put into other things. That’s why he went for pursuing his cooking career.”

“Oh, right, I remember he said he worked at a bakery,” Louis laughs, “it seems then that he never left the place.”

“Dear, by then, he had only worked at the till,” Anne says, her voice full of glee, “but he’d insist on telling everyone he used to be a baker. Of course Barb had let him help her once and twice, and maybe that’s what had made him be interested in cooking, but he’s only become a cook after going to Uni. I’m glad he had that to focus on, because it brought many good things to his life, including Lily, even as unexpected as it was.”

At that small piece of revelation, Louis is intrigued once more. That had been something he had wondered for a bit, about how Harry’s fatherhood came to be, even more when reading Lily’s information file that her mother was not present.

“Unexpected?” Louis asks, trying not to sound too intruding into a personal and family matter, but still dying to know Harry’s and Lily’s story.

Anne doesn’t seem fazed by the question, answering it without caring much about sharing a part of his son’s life with Louis. “Before anything, Louis, you need to know that Lily is nothing but the light of our lives, I can’t imagine what it would be like if we didn’t have her, but to be honest, it was quite the shock to know that Harry would become a father. Harry hadn’t been one to have serious relationships when he was young, specially with girls. And when he went off to Uni, he had left a very small city to come to Manchester and as a mother, I know how even the most responsible kids can discover themselves having many different experiences. I trusted Harry, though. He had been trying to get by on his own, doing what he could to pay his bills by himself, he had even started singing at a few pubs to make ends meet, and at that time, I thought he had found his passion for it again, only to receive a call from him saying that he thought he’d have to give up everything, even Uni, because a girl he had been with had gotten pregnant.”

Louis is quite speechless, only listening to Anne telling this bit of information he never expected to know. He’d never picture Harry in a situation like that, whatever it was that he imagined Harry in his future.

“I can say I wasn't happy with that at first, but I couldn’t let Harry give up everything because of that. Quite the opposite, if there was going to be a baby he wanted to take care of, he’d have to find even better ways to provide for that children that had no fault for the acts of two careless young people. It wasn’t the easiest few months after that, not that Harry ever regretted what happened. If anything, he knew he had a responsibility and would never let anything happen to an innocent child, so he tried his best to deal with it. He even tried to work a relationship with the mother, but she was a girl that had no cares in the world,” Louis can sense a hint of disappointment in her voice as she talks about Lily’s mother.

“She wasn’t even from the UK, and she wanted desperately to get rid of the situation, but Harry couldn’t let that happen, even if it was more tiring than anything for him. The girl agreed to stay until the pregnancy was over and Harry was more than prompt to take care of the baby on his own. Of course he wouldn’t, I would never let a twenty year old boy, still in Uni, do that. We became his support system, me and his sister and everyone else from our family and it might’ve been the craziest thing we’ve gone through, but also the best thing. It was as if, after Lily was born, everything he’d gone through simply disappeared and there was light and joy back in his life, and she really did bring it, she was and still is a bundle of joy wherever she goes.” Anne finishes and it’s like she had let out a huge breath of relief for saying all that.

There isn’t much Louis can say about what’s going on in his mind after everything Anne has just told him. A lot had happened to Harry since the X-Factor and nothing is what Louis had ever expected it to be. If anything, he is moved by that, because by what Anne said, Harry has been through some rough patches and somehow, even it being not planned, Lily happened and turned everything around for him.

“Wow, that’s a lot.” That’s all Louis manages to say, feeling overwhelmed by the story. That had been the most a parent (or a family member in that case) has opened up about their lives with him. He wasn’t expecting his conversation with Anne to go into that direction. Even more, he doesn’t think Harry himself would’ve shared all that information with him if they had talked.

“I’m sorry if I ended up oversharing, my dear. I tend to do that, as you can notice. I love talking, specially about Lily and Harry. Even with everything, there isn’t a moment I’m not proud of them,” Anne apologises, and Louis can feel there’s only love in her voice even though she just shared a huge intense part of their lives with him.

“No need to be sorry, Anne. I understand. Mums and grandma’s will always be like that. If me mum was still here, I feel like you two would bond instantly, sharing all kinds of stories about your children. Mum would have seven kids worth of stories to tell and things to be proud of too. I know very well how’s that like. And being as caring and loving as you seem to be, you have all the reasons to be proud of your son and your granddaughter and to gush about them.”

“Thank you, Louis. I try to be, you know. It’s not easy taking care of your kids mostly alone, and then seeing your own son going through the same thing. You have to be strong and very supportive.”

“And I’m sure you are. You are an amazing person, Anne and I can tell you’ve raised Harry to be an amazing parent as well.” Even with Louis not knowing the Styles family personally, he believes he can say that without a doubt. He knows Anne hasn’t shared everything, there’s a lot more to their story and to who they are, but just from what he’s heard, he is sure that Harry has grown to become a very dedicated father, doing everything possible to provide a good life for his daughter, loving her unconditionally and inspiring her, even though he had given up on his dream, to follow her little ones.

“I don’t think Lily could’ve had a better parent than Harry. He took on fatherhood with all he had and sometimes I think he’s an even better parent than I ever was,” Anne laughs, with so much pride in her voice. “And Lily is the best little girl to have as daughter. It’s not just because I’m her grandmother, and I might be a little biased, but she truly is lovely, full of candor, not to mention talented. Not only for singing, might I say. She’s so creative, so open to anything, sometimes you can’t believe the things that come out of her mouth.”

“Little kids always tend to surprise us with the most unexpected things, I’d know with my younger siblings, they are the same age as her and they never cease to impress me with the things their little minds come up with,” Louis agrees.

“Definitely, it’s always a different adventure with these ones. She’s quite the chatterbox as well, she will talk to you about anything and if you ask her anything as well, she will have an answer for it, besides being very funny and having some every strong opinions.”

“She seems quite the handful, but I’m sure she is very lovely. She has such potential for doing whatever she wants, and now speaking professionally, if I may say, she has a special talent for singing, she’d have many opportunities to follow through this path if she wants and if that’s what you and Harry want as well for her,” Louis assures her.

“If it’s up to her, she’d totally be a singer. But also a baker as her dad, among other things,” Anne says with quite the amused tone. “The other day she told us that the perfect profession for her would be ‘a superstar astronaut baker’. When I say you can’t quite imagine the things that leave her mouth, I’m not lying. And of course, Harry indulges her in that. He’s even worse than her.”

This time, Louis laughs out loud, imagining what Lily’s and Harry’s daily life must be. They seem to get on so well, he can see how much Lily loves her dad and now he’s sure Harry would give the moon and the stars to his own daughter if it was possible.

“He’s not wrong, though. Let her believe that, she might become the first ever woman, nay, human in history to achieve that.”

“God forbidden her to hear you saying that. It’s already too much for my old mind to deal with all her antics.”

“I promise to only focus on helping her become a popstar then,” Louis jokes making Anne chuckle on the other side of the line.

“Bless you, Louis,” she replies, fondly.

“Only doing my job,” Louis says, feeling the conversation already dying and he looks at the clock to notice that he had spent way more time than he intended on the phone with Anne. “Well, Anne, I don’t want to take much more of your time. It was a total pleasure to talk to you, thanks for sharing a bit of Lily’s story with me, I truly appreciate it.”

“I should be the one apologising for talking too much. I’m sure you have more important things to do than to hear an old lady babbling about her granddaughter.”

“Once again, no need to apologise. I really wanted to know more about Lily and her family, so there was no wasted time.”

“Glad to help then, Louis. I’m here anytime you want to talk. Maybe next time you can talk more to Harry.”

Louis smiles to himself, trying not to let Anne notice how interested in the suggestion he is. “We’ll have other chances to catch up, I’m sure. The taping for the battles is next week, we’ll meet again soon enough.”

“Of course, my dear,” Anne sounds very excited about it, “Lily can’t stop talking about it. She’s really looking forward to seeing you again.”

“As I am to see her again. Send her and Harry my regards, will ya?”

“Sure thing, Louis. Again, thank you for calling.”

“And thank you for taking your time to talk to me. Take care, Anne.”

“You as well, Louis. Have a great day, dear.”

“Likewise, Anne, bye.” Louis waits to hear the woman saying bye in return to end the call.

Louis sighs heavily after hanging up the phone. That conversation had been more than anything he expected or any other call he has ever done in his life. He doesn’t think the last call he still has to make will ever match up to this one.

Somehow, his and Anne’s chat leaves him even more eager to meet with Lily and Harry again. There’s just something about them that Louis can’t quite let go, even more now knowing as much as he knows about father and daughter. He doesn’t think Anne ever intended to tell him all of that, but he’s glad that she did so. It’s enough to help him on how to work with Lily later on the show. Moreover, he was able to get a glimpse of who Harry has become and where Lily came from, even as little as it was. Still, there’s a lot he doesn’t know about them yet, and it will take more than a long story cut short from his mother to settle Louis curiosity about the man he has met again after so long and his child.

Louis doesn’t know if he’ll have the opportunity for a real conversation with Harry, but more than ever he’s looking forward to seeing and to really knowing him again, whatever way he can.


	3. The Battle Rounds - The Voice Kids UK (2022)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took me longer than I planned to update, but to make up for it, here's a longer chapter! :D
> 
> Enjoy it! xx

_Mister Postman look and see_  
_If there's a letter in your bag for me_  
_Please, please, Mr. Postman_  
_Why's it takin' such a long time_  
_For me to hear from that boy of mine_

_♪_

 

It has been an intense couple of days for Louis. After talking to all the kids’ families from his team and reviewing their auditions, he has been trying to come up with songs and how to arrange the kids together and he has encountered quite difficult decisions to make.

He had to form four trios and initially, it didn’t seem too hard since he had already identified that the youngest girls and also the youngest boys would sound nice together. So, putting Maya and Lily along with Samantha, a seven year old – the youngest he has ever had on his team, with whose mum he had talked after speaking with Lily’s grandmother – was no problem at all, as well as Kaleb, Connor and Kamal, even though the three boys had very different styles.

The real puzzle for Louis was the other two trios. The remaining acts were all very different from each other, apart from Pearl and Yvan, who for sure would be great together singing something more classic. But Zara, Serenna, Joe and Natalie were giving him a hard time, because Serenna had a very powerful and yet calm voice, Natalie was more energetic, Zara was prone for blues and jazz and as for Joe, Louis knew the boy had so much potential in him and could go with whatever style of song he’d choose.

He decided it would be too much pressure and an uneven competition to put Joe among the opera singing kids. The girls then were more difficult to match, as Zara could be a good voice with Pearl and Yvan, but still she wouldn’t suit their style. Neither Serenna would be a good match for them, but maybe Zara and her would flow better together even though their voice range was very different. Louis might’ve been up to something then, because thinking about it,  he knew Natalie didn’t have a classical voice, but Louis could envision her singing something more powerful and deeper and with Yvan and Pearl, they would easily fit in a song together like that. After coming to that decision, he considered it wouldn’t be too bad to have Zara, Serenna and Joe together, and he would try to find a song that would favour each one of them equally, or make it into a version that would.

Coming up with the songs seemed like another challenge then, as he tried to find something to work well with everybody and that wouldn’t make one kid stand out more than the others. For his classic trio with Pearl, Natalie and Yvan, as he had previously thought, a deeper song could be a good option and with his knowledge of Pearl being into some heavy rock, he could give them something that would resemble an opera rock. After much thought, he came with _Bring Me To Life_ by Evanescence for them and hoped that they could make the best out of the song.

For the younger boys, he remembered Kamal’s and Connor’s performance and how both of them went with upbeat and radio songs and maybe even if Kaleb had more of a soul-y voice, he would be able to work along with the boys with no problem. So for them, he thought that going with _Something Just Like This_ from Coldplay was a good call.

The miscellaneous trio was not easy to find something that would please what Louis wanted for them. He needed a song with a strong voice for Serenna, but at the same time, one that wouldn’t demand much from Zara and still suit her style, but also something that would bring out Joe’s voice. He started looking for male and female duets that could do just that and when he came across Ariana Grande’s _Almost Is Never Enough_ featuring Nathan Sykes, it was as if it had fitted all three of them like a glove.

Lastly, for the little girls, Louis needed a song that would simultaneously bring the fun and energy both Maya and Samantha displayed but that would also suit Lily’s sweet voice, allowing her to show her potential not only for soothing songs. He looked for songs from girl groups, and since Maya had already sang Little Mix, he went for the older British groups, digging through the Spice Girls, Girls Aloud, Sugarbabes and ended up finding a version of _Please Mr. Postman_ from The Saturdays. Louis remembered the covers from The Beatles and also from The Carpenters, and thought that even the original from The Marvelettes would sound great for the girls, but the one from The Saturdays was a bit more uplifting and dancy, and would blend the three girls’ voices and styles nicely.

With the trios and songs finally set up, Louis only hopes they’ll enjoy what he has chosen for them and that they will be as excited as he is.

It’s also terrifying a bit, Louis can’t lie. He knows that even being so meticulous with preparing everything the best way he can, he will have to make a tough decision in the end and that is not something he is really looking forward to doing at the moment. He will cross that bridge when he comes to it. As of now, he can still enjoy rehearsing with the kids and helping them improve.

Going back to the studios, Louis can’t wait to meet again with his little shiny talented singers. He will get together with them first to inform in which trio each one of them are and have a little piano rehearsal session so they can become familiar with the song and he can guide them on how to work with it.

The morning of the taping for the show, Louis arrives early at the studio facility along with Pixie and Danny, so they all can discuss the piano arrangements with David, their music producer and pianist. Then, there’s not much preparation, only getting a little bit of makeup, hair and his outfit ready as they will be also recording some small parts talking about each kid and trio.

While waiting for the acts to arrive in the afternoon, the coaches share their own difficulties about coming up with their trios and things that they’ve find out about the kids in their teams, as they also like to do their own research and talk to them before the rehearsals. Mentioning the kids’ parent makes Louis remember a certain father again. With everything else going on, Louis had almost forgotten about the conversation he had had with Lily’s grandmother and how he tried to conceal that he’s also excited and a bit anxious to meet Harry again.

It’s only after Danny’s team is all done with their rehearsal that the producers gather Louis’ acts and set them up to finally speak with him. Louis had been wanting to go backstage, maybe expecting to check if Harry had been the one to come with Lily, but he has to stay in his dressing room until it’s his turn for the taping. He wouldn’t change how things had always been just because he’s curious. He could control himself and wait until he was done with everybody and then he’d talk to the parents one more time, as usual. He could totally do that, especially because he has to focus on the kids. They are the ones who deserve his full attention and so he prepares himself to go to the room where they are all waiting for him.

The kids greet Louis with much excitement and that warms Louis’ heart, to see how eager for what’s to come they all are. Although, behind all the jumping up and down, Louis can sense a bit of nervousness on their faces, which is completely normal. They come around him, hugging and high-fiving him first before he gets a chance to properly talk to them. As they get back to their seats, Louis spots Lily in the middle of the group, with Natalie and Joe by her side and she is smiling at him, but as she sits down, he can see she has her own hands in tight fists resting on her lap. Glancing around, it’s not difficult to spot other nervous mannerisms in the kids, so Louis is ready to change that and make them feel more at ease around him.

“How are you doing, guys?” Louis says in a cheerful voice, sitting down in front of them as the camera are already rolling.

All of them start talking at the same time, but he can make out a few “great”, “fine”, “awesome” around him.

“That’s the spirit! I’m so happy to see you all again. And I hope you’re ready for the battles, aren’t you?”

“Yeah!” There’s a unisson cheer and Louis smiles widely at them.

“Fantastic! So, let’s get this thing going! I want to say that the first trio will be…” Louis starts with a little suspense before announcing who the singers will be. He introduces the first trio as Pearl, Natalie and Yvan and to see the surprised expression on their faces is quite priceless when he tells them they’ll be singing Evanescence. He informs that after all the trios are formed, they will be heading separately to the piano rehearsal, so then he moves on to the next team.

“Now, for my next team, it will be… Samantha!” The little girl stands up, looking at Louis in awe and the others clap their hands for her.

“Joining you will be Lily!” Louis calls and Lily stands up as well, trying to contain a smile as she bites down at her lips. She’s clearly anxious about this whole thing and Louis can’t wait to talk to her and calm her down and say that there’s nothing to worry about.

“And also in this team is Maya!” The kids cheer for the girl as well and Louis can see that there’s no objection from any of them from being put together.

“How do you feel about it, girls?” He asks them nonetheless, just to confirm it.

“So cool!” Maya says and Lily and Samantha nod along excitedly this time.

“Awesome, so I hope you’ll also find the song I’ve chosen for you nice! You’ll be singing Please Mr. Postman, by The Marvelettes, do you know that?” Louis studies their expressions as he can see the girls don’t seem familiar with it when they shake their heads.

“That’s alright, you’ll have time to learn about it, nothing to worry about,” he assures them, winking cheekily at them to make the girls feels a bit better, earning a few chuckles from them and the rest of the kids.

He moves on to the other two groups and they all look very pleased with their trios and song choices and Louis gives himself a mental pat on the back for not scaring the kids too much.

He then heads to the piano room with each group at a time, as the ones waiting for their turn get to talk to the producers and film a few interviews to tell how they are feeling about their fellow contestants and the songs.

The first rehearsal with Pearl, Natalie and Yvan goes a bit more bumpy than Louis initially thought. He knows they are nervous and it’s a little difficult for them to find the right notes and harmonize their voices. Louis guides them through it a few times and tells them that they need to learn the song and make it their own and with that it will get easier to get in tune with it. They will have a week to practice it, so when they meet again for the band rehearsal, he’s hopeful that it will turn out great.

Next comes the little girls trio. Louis is by the piano as he watches Lily, Samantha and Maya walk into the room, all looking shy and uncertain of what’s going to happen.

“How are you girls feeling right now?” He asks as they stand on the other side of the piano, facing him.

“Curious,” Samantha says and Lily and Maya chuckle, nodding.

“That’s good,” Louis replies, confident that the girls are willing to know about the song even though they have no clue how to sing it. “That’s a good start. This song is quite charming, and with little girls as cute as you singing it, I have no doubt you’ll impress me and everybody else in the audience with it.”

The girls preen at the compliments and Louis can feel they relax a bit. “So, shall we get on with it?”

“Yes!” They all answer and Louis hands them the sheet of paper with the lyrics.

“David and I are gonna go over the song once and then after we’ll test it with your voices, alright?”

The girls nod again and Louis starts singing it, the piano version more similar to the original song, but once the girls have it memorized, practicing with the band and the version Louis chose for them won’t be difficult for them to nail it.

They watch him attentively, reading along the lyrics as Louis sings and when he finishes, the three girls have a soft smile on their faces.

“I think I’ve heard this song before,” Lily informs, a little timidly.

“Oh yeah?” Louis asks, more relieved that the song then isn’t a complete odd choice for them.

“I think I might’ve heard it with my grandma, or my Dad singing it once,” she reveals and, yeah, Louis can totally picture Harry singing some old 60’s songs.

“I bet he would,” Louis laughs, winking privately at Lily and the girl giggles. “So, do you think this will be hard for you to sing, girls?” He returns his attention to all of them.

“I really liked it and it seems easy to learn, so no at all,” Maya answers and Louis is more confident that he’s made a great choice for them.

“I’m happy to hear that, so, now it’s your turn, alright? You have there on the paper which verses you’ll be singing, there’s no secret to it. Sing it as you’d normally do and we’ll see how it works for everybody, okay?”

David then starts the song on the piano again and the three of them get the cue to start the first lines together as Louis had set for them.

From there, the rehearsal goes smoothly. They do sound great as he had initially thought. Obviously they don’t get the song right the first time, but with Louis orienting them, by the third time they sing it, it’s much better and without many things to fix. Their voices are right on point too, which helps a lot.

“You girls are on fire. That was absolutely brilliant,” he congratulates them and the girls are now smiling widely at him, and Louis can sense how much more confident and comfortable they’ve gotten since entering the room. The tension he saw in their eyes at first is completely gone and they are getting along very well. “Now, all you have to do is keep practicing. You’ll have some more time to do it while I finish rehearsing with the others, so you can get the hang of it together, but your task this week is to make the song your own, bring your own touch to it as you practice at home, and then I’ll see you girls at the studio rehearsal. How does that sound? You think you can do it?”

“Of course! We’ll smash this song,” Samantha answers eagerly, looking at Lily and Maya, who are cheering as well, showing her their two thumbs up.

“Alright, that’s the team spirit I like to see. You’ll do amazing, you’ll see. Now, gimme me five before you go.” Louis raises his hand above the piano for them and high-fives each one of them before the producers say the cameras are now off and they can walk back to the waiting area.

“Keep up the good work, girls,” he says one last time and they all turn to look and wave at him

Lily is the last one walking back and she stops for a second, smiling directly at Louis.

“Thank you, Louis. I really liked this. You’re the best!” She’s popping two small dimples in her cheeks and her bright green eyes are shining.

Louis is taken by surprise by the comment, but somehow it warms up his heart and he only nods at her, waving back as she walks away with the other girls.

Lily is one sweet and special little girl, Louis can’t help but have more confirmation of that as he gets to spend more time with her. He’s once again impressed by her talent, and sure she didn’t disappoint him, being able to sing a song a bit different from her comfort zone.

He is happy that he had the chance to know her and have her on his team and also, he couldn’t lie, for the opportunity he had to meet her father again.

There’s still time for the rehearsals to be done, but Louis is already thinking about Harry and what their encounter will be like. Obviously he has to focus on the things he has to say about Lily, and not worry about what kind of conversation they will have. They won’t even have much time to talk about something else as Louis would like anyway, but he is hoping to get at least a private smile from Harry for something cheeky he ends up telling him.

The thought is pushed away as Alice, one of the studio assistants, tells him his next trio is ready to rehearse.

Louis welcomes Kaleb, Connor and Kamal and the boys are as easy as the girls to coach and he doesn’t have much to worry about them as well, also being surprised by Connor wanting to include his own rapping into the song. Louis is a tad skeptical on how he will fit it in there, but he gives him the leeway to do so, because essentially that’s what they are supposed to do with the song, bring their own touch and characteristics. That’s also how Kamal suggests bringing his harmonium to contribute to the song and Louis says that he can obviously do that, since he had already thought how the instrument would bring a nice mix to it. Even though the song is not something Kaleb is used to singing, Louis suggests him to give it a bit of his inner soul singer touch and the boys seems excited about it. This trio ends up surprising him a lot and he can’t wait for what’s to come with the final rehearsal with the band.

Then comes Serenna, Zara and Joe and Louis is a bit worried about how timid they all look and sound. They were the only ones who all three of them knew the song and Louis thought they would nail it without any glitch. They do sound great, but Louis doesn’t think they are still showing their full potential. He knows they might be a bit starstruck with him there, but they’ve gotta show more confidence and he tells them just that, tells them that they have to find a way to connect with the song and transmit how they are really feeling about it for him and for the public, specially with it being such an emotional song. They all seem willing to work on that and Louis is happy that he didn’t discourage them or anything.

The rehearsals are over and Louis is very pleased with how they turned out. He knows the kids will try their hardest to show him all they’ve got and he can’t wait to see the outcome of his work with them.

After a few minutes back at his dressing room to catch his breath and eat a bit after the whole afternoon working with the kids, Louis is ready to meet with all of them one last time and with their parents to have his usual chat with them to talk a bit about their developments and show the parents that he’s really impressed with all of them. It’s the same as always, but he has unique kids and they need to be validated for how special each one of them are.

There’s a quiet chatter in the room when Louis enters, which instantly stops as he goes over to each one of them. The kids are excited to have Louis’ attention again and the parents are very proud to hear all the compliments Louis gives their children. He takes his time and doesn’t rush anything with any family, even if he knows he has been a bit more eager to talk to one specific father, one he has spotted the moment he stepped inside the room, feeling a bit relieved that he had really came with his daughter to the studio again.

It doesn’t take long for him to finally reach Lily and Harry and when he does, he doesn’t think he was really prepared to be face to face with Harry again. It’s like being slapped on the face, not quite believing that he is seeing the same boy he met all those years ago, turned into a very fine and attractive man in front of him. It’s not so clear for Louis why Harry catches his attention so much and he’s not really sure how to feel about that. He should learn how to control it, because being attracted to Harry when the man’s daughter is being coached by him is not the best thing to have on his mind at the time.

“Hello again, Lily,” he greets her and lets his thoughts go to the back of his mind. He ruffles the top of her head and the girl giggles softly. “Nice to see you again, Harry.” He finally lays his eye on Harry, who’s wearing a blue button up shirt covered in white stars, along with tight black jeans and boots. It’s quite the view, Louis can’t deny as he extends his hand to greet him.

“Me too.” Harry smiles and Louis might be damned by how he almost swoons at the sight of Harry’s left dimple on his cheek. “Lily told me how great it was to rehearse with you. I’m happy it all went well.”

“I didn’t have to do much,” Louis looks down at Lily for a second, “she and the other girls have a natural talent and the song fits them perfectly. They did all the hard work.”

“Yeah, the song is so nice. I love it, I think Grandma Anne will like it that I’m singing one of her favourite songs,” Lily says, watching Harry.

“So she was telling me the truth when she said she had already listened to this song before. Nice to know that the Styles’ household taste in music is very diverse,” Louis teases and he sees Harry inhaling deeply, biting down at his lip trying to contain a smile.

“I like most types of music, my mom is a bit more of the romantic type, but we have a collection of old vinyls, so yeah, we must’ve played the song around the house a few times. That’s a really old one, but I think I recall it more recently from being stuck in my head for watching hours of vines compilations on youtube.”

“How do you even remember that?” Louis laughs, not quite believing what kind of information Harry holds inside that mind of his.

“Hard to forget when you have an one year old at home that has the craziest sleep schedule and you find yourself awake at 3 am and watching vine videos nonstop.” Harry shakes his head, laughing along. “Don’t tell me you don’t remember that, or that the vine didn’t come to your mind when you picked the song for them?”

“What’s a vine?” Lily is looking from her father to Louis with the most puzzled expression, like they are talking in another language and that makes Louis laugh even more.

“There was a time, petal,” Harry starts explaining her, “in a very ancient time of the internet, where people would post six-second videos of anything that would end up being the funniest things.”

“It’s not even that old, it’s been less than 10 years, Harry, please.” Louis rolls his eyes, but actually trying to hide his fond smile from seeing Harry so keen to tell her a simple fact.

“Shhh, I’m trying to tell her an interesting story here,” Harry shushes Louis for interrupting him, not rudely though.

Lily is looking at Harry with adoration in her eyes, holding on to every single word Harry says as if he’s just saying the most amazing facts ever.

“How can something even happen in six seconds, Dad? That’s like, nothing. There’s no time for anything to happen.” She frowns a bit, processing Harry’s information.

“Believe me, Lily. A lot can happen in six seconds,” Louis says and he doesn’t realize the connotation it had until Harry is snorting beside him. “I mean, you have to look at it for you to understand what your dad is talking about. I do remember a few of them, they were quite hilarious,” Louis tries to correct himself, side-eyeing Harry to see him shaking his head slightly. “But, no, Harry, I didn’t think about the vine to choose their song. I’m more cultured than that,” Louis says, cheekily and he sees the moment Harry blushes.

“That’s not what I said,” Harry replies quickly, a bit defensive, “and hey, vines are very much cultural. So many remarkable memes and catchphrases, who would we be without them nowadays?” Louis sees Harry is trying to keep the banter going, not really offended by what he said.

“Yeah, we’re really talking about the pinnacle of our generation here,” Louis mocks.

“I have no idea what you two are talking about and I don’t think I want to understand.” Lily is bemused by their conversation, only making Harry and Louis laugh again.

“You can ask your dad to show you some of these classics later, but don’t mind us, really. We’re just two old men, reminiscing the good old days,” Louis jokes, winking at Harry.

“Say that about yourself. I’m still very young, thank you very much.” It’s Harry who rolls his eyes now at Louis’ teasing and Louis wants to reply to that, but he decides to focus again on Lily, feeling like he and Harry had been in a little bubble of their own, in a senseless conversation that somehow, if Louis could, he’d keep going forever.

“Keep believing that, curly,” Louis opts to say, boarding the flirty way, calling Harry something he used to in the past just for the fun. Harry looks surprised by that, scrunching up his nose slightly, apparently remembering it. “But anyway, vines apart, the song is gonna sound great after this week, right Lily?”

“Yeah, I’ll practice a lot!” She replies excitedly, holding Harry’s hand and Harry smiles down at her with a big grin and then glances back at Louis, his eyes glinting with mischief.

“I sure hope _she_ does,” Harry says, and Louis doesn’t know where that information comes from, but his brain instantly remembers an old vine, knowing Harry had just quoted it trying to be funny and Louis can’t contain letting out a hiccup of laughter as he rolls his eyes once again and has to turn around to contain his disbelief (and bit of fondness).

Louis shouldn’t have teased Harry about his vine knowledge, because then he is hit with a sudden and unexpected memory of an even older vine and the perfect reply for Harry.

“I can’t believe you’ve done this.” Before he knows it, it’s out of his mouth and he’s trying to copy the thicker accent from the guy in the video and he sees in Harry’s eyes that he instantly remembers it as well and lets out almost a screech as a laughter and quickly leads his hand to cover his mouth as some kids and parents turn to look at them, disconcerted by his reaction.

“Are you okay, Dad?” Lily asks, laughing at him, still confused.

Harry only shakes his head, pursing his lips, with his eyes closed and Louis can feel he is already embarrassed, yet again, because of him. Louis somewhat proud of himself for being the one making Harry feel like that, it’s quite endearing to see him getting flustered in front of him.

“I guess I better leave you and your dad to it. I’ve caused much embarrassment to him already as it is, although it’s fun to see he’s easy to entertain,” Louis says, not too seriously, but showing Harry that he’s only been having fun with him.

“You haven’t.” Harry manages to says as he composes himself, looking directly at Louis, green eyes with a soft gleam. “I mean, I’m mostly embarrassing myself on my own, but that first time it wasn’t completely your fault.” Harry pinches Lily’s cheek, making the girl laugh.

As much as Louis had been enjoying his banter with Harry, he can’t deny how captivated by Harry and Lily’s connection he is. They are two peas in a pod, two sides of the same coin. He can see how much Lily looks like her father, not only physically, but in her personality and he doesn’t know what to do with that, because he’s not sure what captivates him more about her. If it’s the fact that she is really such a talented little kid or the fact that she reminds him so much of Harry. That shouldn’t be it and he should pay attention to her for herself and not for her father. He doesn’t want to dwell much on that and as Lily has been only watching their interaction, he thinks it’s better to give her more attention again since that was his initial (and should be his only) purpose. He got a little lost with Harry and that shouldn’t have happened.

“I see Lily and I have a lot in common then, we’re both very talented and embarrassing your dad is another one of our skills.” Louis winks at her and the girl giggles, scrunching up her nose cutely. “And as this competition is, unfortunately, not made by who can embarrass him more, I guess we should focus on what this is really about, right?”

She nods at Louis. “I can leave that for behind the cameras, but I’ll let you know.”

Louis is too endeared by the girl’s sense of humor and wit and for her joining him in his banter against her father.

“Great, I’ll count on that. But that’s not your main mission this week, let’s not forget about it.” He ruffles the top of her light brown hair.

“Never. I have already memorized the song as I was singing with Sam and Maya. I’ll keep practicing at home as much as I can,” she promises, showing Louis how committed she is to it.

“Be careful just not to annoy your dad to death.” Louis turns to Harry again, who is fondly looking at his daughter.

“She’d never. Her singing is always a blessing at home, in the bakery, wherever she goes.” Louis can feel how proud Harry is as he says that.

Louis smiles at him. “I can only imagine. So, as I said before, keep up the good work, will ya? And I’ll see you in a week.” He lowers himself a bit to give her a hug.

“Yeah!” She replies and hugs him back.

“And you, don’t embarrass yourself too much, Styles,” Louis says as he lets go of Lily and reaches out his hand to Harry.

“I’ll try.” Harry takes Louis’ hand, giving him a crooked smile.

Louis shakes his head, laughing to himself as he steps away, murmuring a goodbye to them.

He breathes in deeply, trying to focus on going to the next family and the others he still has to talk to, knowing that he took longer with Harry and Lily than he did with the previous ones. He should feel bad about it, but deep inside, he doesn’t really.

Talking to Harry, laughing with him, teasing and joking around and having Lily join him in it… it didn’t feel weird or forced. That felt completely natural, as if they had known each other for years, as if Harry and him had continued being friends through all the years they’ve missed out on each other.

It feels like they’ve just started off from where they had left and to be honest, it feels too good, too comfortable that it might scare Louis a little bit, because that’s not how he’s supposed to be feeling. It’s not only seeing Harry again, but it’s remembering everything Anne had said to him about her son, it’s seeing how Harry is with Lily and how their father-daughter relationship seems so precious and cherished, is thinking about the man Harry has become and what he has done for his daughter… and wanting to be closer to them somehow.

He tries not to think too much about it and he lets Harry and Lily leave his mind as they also leave the studio when Louis is talking to the other families.

There will be time for Louis to process what’s going on later. A week is all he needs to put his thoughts together and try to figure out how he’s really feeling about Harry.

 

*

 

“How are we doing, petal?” Harry carefully asks Lily from the front seat, after being on the road for more than half of the way to London.

She suddenly went quiet after talking nonstop with Gemma and his mother and Harry knows that it’s only because she might start getting nervous. It was like that for her blind audition, so he just wants to make sure that she’s feeling alright before they get to the studios for the taping of the Battles.

It’s been a long week for her. He’s never seen her so committed to something as she had been to practicing the song Louis had given her to sing with the other girls. She’d get home after being with Harry at the bakery when school was over and before Harry knew it, there she was in her bedroom, listening to the song nonstop and singing it over and over again. It wasn’t a difficult song, but Lily seemed to want it to be as perfect as she could make it, as so not to disappoint Louis, she had told Harry.

Being the supportive and good parent that he is, Harry didn’t waste time to help her with it. There he was singing with her the parts that the other two girls were supposed to sing and encouraging her to feel free to do whatever she felt like would make the song have her own personality, because he knew that was important. And Lily has a lot of creativity, she loves to make up dance moves and that certainly would be useful for her performance with this song. As they’d practice, he would joke around a few times when he’d see that she was getting too worked up if she messed up something, or if Harry was the one who did it, and then he would let her be in her own world because he didn’t want to be some kind of pressure on her, more than the one he noticed she was putting on herself.

He would also make sure that she knew that it was okay not to be as on point as she wanted to, not everyone was and that’s normal. She was just a kid and had too much to learn still, after all. She then would calm down and Harry could see that she was still learning how to deal with that, as this was all new to her. Harry could see how much she wanted, not only to make Louis choose her, but also to make Harry proud.

“You make me the proudest, my pretty flower,” he had told her the night before going to London when she asked him if he would still love her if Louis didn’t pick her from the battle. “There’s nothing you can do that would make me love you any less, that’s a silly thought. You are my little shiny star, it doesn’t matter if Louis chooses you or not, you’ve already made it in my heart since the day you were born.” He kissed her cheek as she got cosied up in her bed, getting ready to sleep and the warm smile she gave him after that was enough to settle Harry that she’d be fine.

Although, he knows that there isn’t much else he can do to help her not to feel so nervous. That’s a natural thing to happen, he’d know that, actually remembers from his time on the X-Factor. But, anything he can say and do to at least make her a bit more relaxed, he will.

“I’m fine, Dad,” she answers and Harry sees a tiny smile as he looks at her from the rearview mirror.

He isn’t very much convinced that she is, but he’ll let that pass. “Do you wanna listen to the song so we can all sing along?” Harry offers.

Lily seems to consider that but before she can answer, Gemma is the one to speak.

“I’m sure I won’t be able to help much, since I’m the only one in the family not talented enough, but it’s not like the song is not stuck in my head already,” she says in a joking tone.

“Sorry, aunt Gemma.” Lily is coy when she replies.

“No need to be, Lils.” Gemma smiles at her and Harry can see she is poking his daughter slightly, making her giggle. “We were all happy at the bakery to have you singing for us all the time, as we always are.”

“We never get tired of listening to your beautiful voice, sweetheart,” Anne says from beside Harry in the passenger seat. “I guess we can do with a little more singing.”

Harry smiles at his mother and she gives him a comforting pat on the shoulder as she reaches for the mobile that’s plugged in the car radio to look for the song that might already have over a hundred plays on his device by now.

The song starts and all four of them sing along to it a few times. Gemma makes sure to lighten the mood joking around with Lily and Harry joins them, exaggerating sometimes with the way he sings it as he drives down the road. He’s happy that this time it only makes Lily laugh instead of being snappy at him like she had been over the week. He hopes that’s enough to help her let her nerves go and feel more at ease as they start singing other songs and get closer to London.

Later, when they finally arrive at the studio facilities, they are led by the producers to meet with the other kids and parents that wait for their turn to rehearse with the band. They are informed they will go by teams, with Danny’s being the first one, and as they have some time to kill, all the kids from Louis’ team gather in a room and have a session with the vocal coach to practice how they sound together.

Harry talks to Samantha’s and Maya’s parents about how the girls have been excited to get to sing the song on stage with the others and finds out that Lily wasn’t the only one who that had been apprehensive about the battle.

It’s after almost an hour that they are informed that Louis will be meeting each trio individually for the rehearsal inside the studio and that the parents can all head there along with the kids to watch it. Lily’s trio is the third one to go and Harry can see that while they wait, she is feeling a lot more relaxed to be with the girls. They seem to get along well, not only singing, but talking and playing, and Harry’s happy that they are helping each other forget about the pressure of performing.

When they are called inside, Harry takes Lily by the hand, smiling down at her.

“And now, how are we feeling?” He asks and she looks back up at him, her eyes with a more excited gleam.

“Peachy, Dad.” She smiles at him and this time he believes it, and he squeezes her tiny hand to comfort her a little bit more as they step inside the studio.

“Welcome back, team Louis!” They are greeted by Louis himself with a very wide smile on his face, standing on stage as they walk to sit in the audience rows. “Hope you are all excited for the rehearsal today, aren’t we? Hello mums, dads, and family, let’s get this thing going, shall, we?” Louis sounds enthusiastic as he waves at all of them and Harry has the heart to wave back at him briefly, not trying to look so stupid for doing it, but he sees that everyone else does it, so he’s fine so far. He doesn’t want to embarrass himself one more time.

The kids are instructed to go ahead to the stage and Harry gives Lily two thumbs-up as she walks with the other girls and Harry, Anne, Gemma and the other parents take their seats.

“She’s gonna do fine, love,” Anne says when she sits by his side.

“I know.” He nods as he watches Lily and the girls interact with Louis. At first, he can’t hear what they are talking because they are a bit far from the stage and Louis doesn’t seem to be using a microphone, but it looks like he is asking them questions, probably about how they felt practicing the song during the week as they all nod excitedly and talk back to him, also laughing a bit.

It’s nice to see how attentive Louis is with them and that he is obviously trying to lighten the mood and make them feel comfortable before their performance.

Someone from the production comes and hands the girls their microphones and Louis gives them and the band an a-okay sign before walking closer to his big and red chair that is right in front of where Harry and the other parents are sat.

“Alright families, the girls are ready, let’s see how your little superstars are gonna finally sound after a week of nonstop singing in their bedrooms, right?” Louis jokes and they laugh in return and Harry can see Louis winking, not at anyone in particular, but which feels somehow directed at him.

He quickly tries to wash away that thought, because that’d be just nonsense. That might just be his internal fanboy self speaking and now it’s not the time to fantasize about his teenage idol, as much as it’s kinda hard to with the man, looking as beautiful as ever, with a very laid back outfit – a set of matching joggers and top, in black, blue and white – standing a few feet away from him, as he’s sat on his chair to watch the girls sing.

The same person from the production gives her own okay for the rehearsal to start and for the cameras to start rolling as they are going to use the recording for the taped show. Harry doesn’t even feel the cameras on him as he’s only paying attention to the girls on stage when they start singing, because it looks so good already. They sing once and Harry can see that they are a bit uncertain on how to work around themselves on stage, but their singing parts seem flawless and they know when their cues are and they blend in nicely when it’s the time for them to sing the chorus together.

When the song is over, all the parents clap their hands for the girls, and Harry watches as Louis does the same and leaves his place to talk to the girls. By the look on his face, he seems pleased with what he’s seen and the girls all smile once he starts talking. It looks like he’s giving them instructions, pointing around the stage and directing his attention to each one of the girls as he speaks, once again making them laugh, this time as he makes some kind of choreographed movements and the girls copy them to incorporate into their performance.

Seeing Louis on stage with his daughter, it’s like Harry’s seeing the Louis he conjured in his mind come to life. He remembers the Louis he met on the X-Factor and how nice and sweet he had been to Harry back then, and as he watched Louis rise with One Direction, get his fame with the group, have his face plastered on the tabloids, he saw another image of Louis emerge. Not that he didn’t know that people can change as they grow, but it was hard for him sometimes to believe Louis had become what the media had portrayed of him –  the One Direction lad who only knew how to party, cursed and flipped off paparazzi right and left, had gotten into fights that had gotten him arrested, was always the one joking around, who had never had a serious relationship, being rumored to date everyone he had been spotted with (that was until he officially came out when the band hiatus started and then the rumors had completely stopped – which hadn’t been any shock to Harry. He had never asked Louis if he liked boys back in the X-Factor days, but somehow he always hoped so.)

Harry had always tried not to let these aspects of Louis’ famous life  hinder how he really felt about the boy, and he made sure to ignore all the gossip and rumors about him, focusing on things he knew the real Louis would do – that was, on how fans always said that Louis had never treated them badly, how he always stood up for them as well for his bandmates and his music when people came after them, how he’d been known as the most charitable One Direction member, promoting charity events every year, especially with kids, and after the hiatus getting openly involved with LGBT causes. That was the Louis Harry admired (besides for the fact of being incredibly talented), his teenage crush who grew into a man that wasn’t only what fame had made of him.

To see Louis in front of him, being the sensible and caring person he always thought of, it was very rewarding to Harry, to know that he didn’t misplace his admiration. Moreover, to see coach Louis, the one he and Lily had always watched on TV and to confirm that he cared deeply for the kids in his team and to see _that_ Louis acting so softly with his own daughter, it warmed Harry’s heart.

And it also warmed Harry’s heart to see Lily improving her performance after Louis talked to them, feeling more carefree on stage with the other girls, coming up with coordinated moves and positions as they rehearsed a couple more times.

“Well done, girls. You did fantastic!” Harry can hear Louis praising the girls when they are done singing the song and the parents are once more cheering for them. It seems that this last time around has gone off without a hitch and the girls look very happy with themselves for that.

Louis hugs each one of them after the producers announce that the taping for their rehearsal is over. Louis then walks back with the girls down the stage to meet with the parents again.

Lily comes running to Harry when he steps closer to her and he takes her in his arms, squeezing her tightly.

“You were brilliant up there, petal.” He kisses her cheeks and briefly looks at Louis to see him glancing at them for a second with a smile on his face and then turning his attention to talk to Samantha’s parents.

“Lilipad, I can’t believe you smashed the rehearsals. I thought I was already seeing you performing for real on stage,” Gemma says, coming to stand beside them. “Can’t wait to see what you’ll do on the show.”

“I’m so proud of you, sweetpea, I’m sure you’ll be great tonight. The other girls were so amazing too. Did you enjoy that?” Anne asks as Lily lets go of Harry and looks up at them.

“Yeah, it was great. I was a tiny bit nervous, because I didn’t know what to do at first, but Louis helped me and the girls. We even created a choreography, did you see?” Her face is full of glee as she speaks.

“Of course. That looks very fun. That’s what’s important, that you have fun tonight, Lils. As long as you’re enjoying yourself, that’s what matters, and you’ll make the best out of it,” Harry assures her, smiling confidently, hoping that she knows that whatever she does later at the show, it will be enough.

“I hope so, Dad. I’m really excited about the performance. Louis liked it, so I think we’ll do well later.” She nods and takes a look at Louis, and Harry does the same, only to see the man coming their way after talking briefly with Maya’s family.

“Hello Styles family, how are we doing today? Ready to see Lily on stage?” He asks, giving each one of them a welcoming smile and stopping at Harry for a second longer before winking at Lily.

“Louis, I think you were able to wash away all her worries and for that we can never be thankful enough,” Gemma says, “she was a bundle of nerves the whole week, but very persistent on practicing, and to see her on stage now, it’s like, she was a natural.” Harry nods, agreeing. He couldn’t have put that into better words.

“She _is_ a natural, Gemma,” Louis replies, matter-of-factly, “I only told them to let themselves go and to feel comfortable on stage, and they did. As long as they have fun, they’ll sound amazing. And I can see that all the practicing was worth it too, because she sounded really good singing with the girls, she knew the song perfectly.”

“I had my Dad helping me with that,” Lily informs and Harry inhales deeply, hoping that she won’t take another opportunity to embarrass him in front of Louis. “He sang with me every day, so it was very easy to practice, because he also sings very well.” She looks proud to say that, and Harry can’t help but preen at his own daughter’s compliment

“I’m sure he does.” Louis then looks at Harry with soft blue eyes. “Maybe he should perform it with you and the girls, then, since he knows the song as well as you do. I bet you’d sound awesome together.”

Harry is speechless to say anything back at Louis. It always feels like Louis can’t stop complimenting him and he is in a bit of awe because of that. Even without properly knowing Harry back then on the X-Factor, Louis had already told Harry that he had found him very talented and it seems that years later, he still can’t stop buttering him up, even though they don’t know each other anymore. It might seem like Louis is only doing that out of cordiality, maybe for the sake of the old days, but to be honest, Harry doesn’t know why.

Not that he minds, of course not. Being showered with compliments that are on the verge of being flirty with the popstar he actually had a crush on when he was just a teenager is not something to dismiss, but at the same time, Harry knows it shouldn’t mean anything more than Louis just being very nice. Deep down, though, there’s something in Harry that makes him wish it was more than that, that it actually meant something, specially with the lingering looks Louis gives him, or the private waves and winks. It’s suddenly a lot to process if Harry thinks there’s really more to it, or if he’s overthinking the whole situation.

“I think my brother’s performing days are overdue, but he still sounds great indeed. He’d be great singing it. Maybe alone, though, not with the girls,” Gemma says and Harry doesn’t know if she is joking or not, but he’s glad that she didn’t let his silence be awkward.

“Maybe encourage him to try for the X-Factor again, or even the adult edition of The Voice, who knows? I guess he has a good shot then.” Louis arches one eyebrow teasingly at Harry, which makes Harry let out a small chuckle as he shakes his head.

“I think that will be a no for me,” he replies, quoting Simon Cowell and making Louis laugh out loud. “As Gemma said, my singing days are over. Besides, I have a bakery to run and a kid to take care of, I think I’m fine by now,” Harry arguments, finally.

He sees his mother shaking her head fondly. “If you really wanted to, you could, you know,” she chimes in, “but, I guess right now we’ll have to make do with Lily being our only shiny competition star and we have to thank Louis for giving her an opportunity to be here. And whatever happens tonight, we’ll still be grateful for this.”

“No need to thank me, Anne,” Louis smiles at her, “Lily is here because of her own efforts. She deserves it, and tonight will be a tough choice to make, because the three of them are really great, so I hope they give their best. The performance will captivate everyone, I’m sure. All I have to say is that, whatever happens tonight, Lily, I’m already a huge fan of yours.” Louis then looks back at Lily and Harry sees his daughter blush a tad.

“Thanks, Louis,” Lily is a bit shy when she speaks. “I hope you like what we do tonight.”

“I’ll love it, for sure.” He pats her head gently, making Lily preen at the gesture.“Well, you better get going then to get ready for the show later.”

“Thank you, really, Louis,” Harry says, earnestly, before Louis can bid them goodbye properly. “It means a lot how much you care about Lily, about the girls. She does feel more confident after being on stage with you.”

“That’s what I’m here for, Harry. It’s my pleasure to help her and each one of the kids. Talking about the others, I should get the other trio ready now. Sorry to rush with you guys,” Louis apologizes, giving Harry a lopsided smile.

“No, no problem, we should be going too already. Again, thank you Louis.” Harry extends his hand to Louis and the man takes it, very gently, to shake it.

“Don’t mention it, and I’ll see you all at showtime. Break a leg, Lily. You’ll be amazing, love,” Louis addresses her one last time, winking at her and then nodding goodbye at Anne and Gemma and sending Harry a fond smile before he turns and walks away.

Hary lets out a deep breath as he watches Louis go and then takes Lily by the hand to walk backstage to wait for the time of taping of the show.

Lily seems to be quite calm in the meantime. She keeps talking to the girls, they have another session with the vocal coach and everything is running just as smoothly as Harry had hoped it to be before her performance. Of course she still has the jitters, she tells him so, but it’s more about how she thinks that Samantha and Maya sound as great as she does and she has no clue what Louis’ decision will be. Harry doesn’t either, but once again, he reassures her that even if she doesn’t end up going to the semifinals, she has done an awesome job so far. Louis seems to be very content with her, so that’s what she should focus on and take with her if she doesn’t continue in the competition that night.

Harry thinks that calming Lily down will also help him hide the fact that he’s nervous for her. It’s only when the time of the show approaches and the producers call the kids to get hair, makeup and outfit done and also record a few interviews about how they are feeling about the Battles that Harry really lets it sink in that his daughter is in it to go big or go home tonight, and he doesn’t think he’s ready to see her feeling disappointed if she doesn’t make it.

It starts to feel a lot like it had when he was on the X-Factor, but this time it’s worse, because thinking that Lily would feel the way he did, that’s something he would never want for her.

“Harry, dear, stop worrying so much,” Anne tells him once they are already sat in the audience, along with the other parents and the rest of the people attending the taping of the show. “Think of this as a great experience for her. It’s not a deal or no deal situation. She’s only eight, she still has a lot in front of her.”

“I know, mum. It’s just,” he inhales deeply, “she wants this so much and has worked very hard. I’ve told her before, we’ve told her before that what matters is her being part of this, but still…”

“Still we’d love to see her thriving and showing everyone her talent, yeah. That’s all I wanted for you too,” she puts one of her hands over his face, caressing it gently, “but, remember what I told you back then?”

Harry closes his eyes and nods at his mother.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re not talented enough for them, you are talented enough for me and if it doesn’t work out now, maybe one day it will,” she repeats what Harry had already heard more than once after the X-Factor, “and the same goes to Lily. That’s what you should think and then, only hope for the best.” She kisses his temple and pats him on his incessant trembling knee.

“She’s lucky enough to be participating in something big like this, Haz,” Gemma adds, making Harry look at her. “I’m sure even if she doesn’t go through, she will remember this as the coolest thing she’s been part of. She won’t let it bring her down. She’s very optimistic, you know?”

Harry only nods in agreement, not able to say that Gemma is right. Lily is nothing like Harry in that aspect. When Harry once had given up, he knows that Lily would never let herself be affected like that. Whenever there’s something she can’t do, she simply moves on to another thing and tries again. And that’s something he loves so much about his daughter.

He tries to calm his heart then as the show starts with Emma Willis introducing the Battle Rounds, calling the judges on stage. It will be awhile until Lily’s turn to perform, since she’s set to appear on the second day of the battles, so Harry enjoys the first session of the taping. He watches talented kid after talented kid sing, which makes him very anxious, because even though he knows how special Lily’s voice is, there are kids there that surprise him with their potential, and he only keeps imagining Lily being up against them in the next phases of the competition. He can’t help but worry if she will be good enough for Louis to decide that she can go to the semifinals.

If Harry is in awe with all the contestants he sees performing, he can’t imagine what’s like for the coaches to have to pick only one out of the three kids from each trio. He sees Pixie Lott, Danny Jones and Louis having a hard time to make their decisions and when they do, he doesn’t know what’s more heartbreaking, the kids’ faces when they are not the ones going through, or to see some of the parents crying. He knows they are all proud of their children, because that’s how Harry feels and he knows that whatever happens with Lily, he’ll make sure to never let her forget that.

When the second session starts, Harry is far from being calm and even if his mother and sister try to tell him that he shouldn’t be so nervous, he well knows that they are also tense, both of them holding onto his arms tightly.

Lily’s trio is the third act to come on stage and when Emma Willis calls them, Harry is nearly at tears. He knows he has already watched her rehearse the song a few hours ago, but to see her walking on the stage, all dressed up, so beautiful and cute, along with the other girls, he remembers the days he had spent practicing with her, that he had caught her pretending to perform the song in front of the mirror– he can’t describe how proud he is for how far she’s come.

“Hoping they’ve got what it takes to stay on team Louis, please welcome Lily, Maya and Samantha,” Emma introduces the girls as they step in front of the stage. Harry, Anne and Gemma as well as the other girls’ families stand up to watch their performance as everyone else around them cheer loudly for them.

Harry sees Lily smiling wildly but looking very focused. He knows she won’t even notice him, but he waves at her anyway, hoping to give her some encouragement before the performance starts.

“Let the battle begin,” Emma says as the lights on stage change and the band starts playing the song.

They have barely started singing and the crowd is already cheering for them, because in only a few lines, the performance is already one of the most adorable things Harry has seen. The song with the band sounds more energetic than the original version, Harry had already noticed when they had rehearsed before, but with the enthusiasm from the audience, it seems way more fun than from when they did it only for Louis and the parents. And they sound even better, Harry can say. Lily is totally in sync with the other girls, nailing the performance and singing it flawlessly in his opinion. He can’t express how happy and proud of her he is.

Everybody in the audience seems to be enjoying their performance so much, the song is very catchy and dancy and the girls make it even charming. Each one of them bring their own personality and voice to it and when the time to sing the chorus together and do their little choreography comes, they look like they’re having the best time on stage. Harry’s sure this will be memorable for Lily.

If Harry could, he would watch that performance over and over again, because sooner than he expects, the song is over and all he can hear is clapping and whistling coming from everywhere around the studio. He sees the three judges standing up from their chairs, cheering for them as well and the girls high-fiving each other with huge smiles on their faces.

“Give it up for Maya, Lily and Samantha, everyone!” Emma comes to meet them on stage, hugging the three of them. “Wow, girls! You had everyone on their feet with this song. That’s how amazing you were. How did it feel?”

Anne’s hold on his arm tightens when Emma gives the microphone for Lily to speak.

“Incredible. I loved it, I had the most fun,” she replies, not able to stop smiling.

“You and everyone else, Lily. Isn’t she right, coaches?”

“Absolutely,” Pixie answers Emma first, “that was so great and cute. You are all real superstars, I could feel the energy from the stage. I wish it was my team!” She jokes, making everybody clap their hands and laugh.

“How about you, Danny?” Emma continues.

“These girls have so much power, I love it. I felt like dancing the whole time. It was awesome,” he says, cheerfully.

“And you, Louis, how did it feel for you?” Emma asks and Harry is beyond nervous to know Louis’ reaction.

“Girls, I’m really, really proud of you. You made the crowd feel your happiness, you were incredible and even more perfect that I could imagine. All the props to you, really.” Louis sounds very ecstatic to congratulate them and Harry can say he feels the same about their performance.

The crowd cheers again and Harry can see how happy the girls are to listen to Louis saying that to them, but at the same time he sees how apprehensive they look. Lily is holding her microphone so tightly that Harry thinks her little knuckles are going white.

“Alright then, Louis. Unfortunately now it’s time for you to make your decision,” Emma announces and Harry feels the tension building up in the studio as the lights changes for the decision.

“That’s it,” he murmurs to himself, trying to be hopeful with what’s to come.

Both Anne and Gemma are almost crushing him with their hold on both his arms, but he feels that he needs that, he needs their energy to keep thinking positively.

“Well, as I said, you girls were amazing,” Louis starts again, very calmly. “Samantha, you are such a great singer. Maya, you are a little super star. And Lily, you are a shining diamond. This is really the hardest part, because I feel like I’m deciding between three little angels with incredible voices.” Harry can hear Louis taking in a deep breath before continuing. “And even if I make the right decision, it seems like I’m making the wrong decision, because I’m sending two girls home and that breaks my heart.”

Harry is almost crying at Louis’ speech and he can’t even imagine how his little girl must be feeling there on stage.

The audience then starts shouting out the girls’ names, the ones who they want Louis to pick for the semifinals. Harry and the other families do the same, but he knows that it doesn’t matter what they say, it’s up to Louis and he has a reason for making his decision, and whoever he chooses, that little girl deserves to go through.

“But I do have to choose,” he continues, as the girls expectations grow more on their faces, “and the singer going through is…”

Harry can feel his heart almost jumping out of his chest as Louis pauses again and the crowd gets louder.

“Lily!” Louis finally says and his voice feels like he’s smiling.

And Harry is the one who can’t stop smiling at the same time that he is in tears, with Gemma and his mother bringing him into a hug. He barely sees what’s going on on stage. It looks like Lily is jumping and hugging the other two girls as Emma asks her how she’s feeling.

“I’m so happy! Thank you, Louis.” Harry can hear her and he finally untangles himself from Gemma and Anne’s embrace to see Lily opening a smile so wide.

“Please, put your hands together one more time for Lily!” Emma says and leads her to walk down the stage to meet with Louis.

Harry doesn’t hear what he says to her because the producers are telling them to go to the floor to meet Lily too and as they finally reach the stage area, Lily comes running to them and Harry only has the mind to take her in his arms, actually lifting her up and peppering her face with kisses.

She giggles at that, but Harry can feel a few tears rolling down her face and he can’t help but get a little bit more emotional at that.

“I love you, petal! You did amazing. I’m so, so, so proud of you,” he tells her as he sets her on the ground again.

“You couldn’t have done any better, sweetpea,” Anne says and Lily finally looks at them, eyes glistening with tears.

“Thank you, Dad, thanks grandma, I can’t believe he chose me!” She almost gasps as she says and Harry can’t help but hug her again.

“He did, Lils. You totally deserve it,” Gemma also congratulates her and Lily’s smile only grows, if that’s even possible.

“Guys, if you don’t mind now, I need you to go backstage so we can talk to Lily and then you can stay in the waiting lounge until the taping is over, and afterwards we’ll speak with everyone again,” Jo, one of the producers, informs them and Harry follows her inside, pulling Lily by the hand. He takes a brief look behind to check if Louis is watching them and when he finds Louis already sitting on his chair again, but with a soft smile as he nods in Harry’s direction, Harry feels his heart skip a beat for a second.

They record a small celebration hug and Lily saying how happy she is to be in the semifinals and then they head inside the waiting area, watching the rest of the battles with the previous contestants from the first session and the two who had won the battles before Lily, Davis from Team Pixie and Debbie from Team Danny.

It’s almost an hour later when all semifinalists are finally gathered in the room and waiting for the coaches to talk to them again. Four kids from each team are the lucky ones to go through and everybody is way too ecstatic about it. From Team Louis, along with Lily, the opera singing boy Yvan, a girl named Serenna and the little boy Kaleb have made it too and they are all chatting together when Louis shows up inside the room with Pixie and Danny.

“Guys, I’m beyond happy for you,” he comes closer to them, clapping his hands together and with the biggest and proudest smile on his face, Harry watches as he’s standing up beside Lily with Anne and Gemma alongside him. It’s only then that Harry notices his outfit for the night, a beige cashmere jumper with a simple red detail on the chest along with washed out jeans, and his hair in a half quiff, leaving his blue eyes standing out, almost making Harry lose his breath at the view. “You should be extra proud of yourselves, because you did an unbelievable job, I’m very impressed with each one of you.”

The kids thank him, as well as the parents. Harry wishes he could say something more, but with everyone else there, he can’t risk to be the only parent to tell Louis something that might seem like he’s flattering him.

“Now, you’ve got a few more weeks to prepare for the next phase, and I’m sure you’ll keep practicing to give your best, right? What do you think you’ll be doing, Kaleb?” Louis turns to talk with Kaleb’s family for a bit and then with the other two semifinalists before he gets to Harry and Lily.

“Lily, my shiny little star, how are you feeling about the semifinals?” He greets her with a high-five.

Lily laughs as she reciprocates the gesture. “I’m super pumped. I still can’t believe I’ve made it. Thank you so much.”

“Nah, you were just awesome out there.” Louis is looking fondly at her and Harry can’t contain feeling like his heart is bursting with adoration for how Louis always seems so caring with Lily. “And I’m sure you’ll come back shining even brighter than today. I’m counting on you for that, will ya?”

“Absolutely!” She promises eagerly, and Harry knows that if it’s up to her, for the next couple of weeks, it will be almost as if she’s on an intense boot camp preparation for the semifinals.

Louis ruffles her hair playfully. “I’ll see you in a few weeks then, alright? But you’ll be hearing from be before the piano rehearsal, how about that?”

Lily opens her mouth in awe, nodding at Louis, which only makes him laugh. Harry can see the excitement in Lily’s eyes and can’t lie that he gets a bit more excited as well to know that Louis will talk to them again soon.

“Great, now keep up being a superstar, Lily.” He gives her a last look before turning his attention to the adults.

Harry is truly fascinated by how special Louis treats the kids, with so much care. But somehow, it feels that with Lily, there’s something different. He always seems to spend more time talking to her and also, Harry can’t pretend he doesn’t see how Louis looks at him, like the way he is doing right now.

“This one is truly a treasure, you have such a special little girl as a daughter, Harry. You’re doing amazing with her, congratulations.” Louis says, not taking his eyes off Harry, opening a smile so sincere Harry can’t help but feel touched by that.

“Thanks,” he barely manages to reply as he keeps looking back at Louis, probably with the most dumbstruck expression.

“I’ll see you soon, then. Have a safe trip back to Manchester. Bye, Anne, Gemma. Take care, Lily.” Louis waves them goodbye and before turning away completely, he nods one last time at Harry.

“Thank you, bye!” The three of them tell Louis while Harry is unable to say anything. It feels like Harry’s holding his breath, not wanting to let that moment go.

He’s not sure what has just happened, but there’s something there. Something he doesn’t want to really give himself the time to think about, because if he does, he’s sure he’ll lose sight of what’s important right now, which is Lily.

Hopefully, another producer comes talk to them to give some information about how the next phase will be and Harry can take his mind off Louis for a moment. But it’s not long until Gemma makes him think about it again.

“He’s really something else, isn’t he?” She whispers to him as they are walking outside the studio. He knows she’s teasing, because he knows that she notices everything, especially when it comes to Harry in relation to Louis.

“Don’t even say anything,” he warns her as he shakes his head and sees her winking at him as she pretends to zip her mouth shut.

He hopes she will truly let it go, because he isn’t ready to think about whatever he believes might be the reason as to why Louis seems to be so much closer to them than with the other families. So much closer to Lily, to him.

The drive back to Manchester will certainly help him forget about it for a while as they celebrate Lily going to the semifinals. Whatever happens when they meet Louis again, he’ll only let himself think about it when the time comes then.

 

*

 

The following weeks after the Battle rounds, Louis finds himself busier sooner than he expected. With everything related with the show happening in the past month, Louis barely had time to focus on his actual job – being in One Direction. Now that the semifinals are going to happen only in a month, Louis has some of his free time again to properly work with Niall and Liam on One Direction’s next album.

It’s their second one after coming back from the hiatus and the fans are already desperate for new material, since they decided not to work the same way they did before with an album every year. They came back in 2020 with a surprise album and then toured the world for some time in 2021, taking their time to play the concerts and have some proper time off in between and now, with the tour over and Louis’ commitment with The Voice Kids that doesn’t demand his attention as a full time job, they thought it was the perfect time to start getting together to write some new songs and already talk with producers and record some demos.

That’s how Louis found himself for almost two weeks in his house in LA alone, trying to get inspiration for some lyrics, having some jamming sessions with producers and lyricists he’s worked together before to see if any of the things he wrote would be worth turning into actual songs for the album. Liam and Niall joined them after a few days and it was great to have the boys all together once again.

Each one of them like to have their own thing when they are not dedicating their time to One Direction. That’s something good that came from the hiatus, which gave them more time to find out their passions outside of being in a boyband. Of course music was still their first priority, that’s why launching solo carriers happened to all three of them, but besides that, they all dived into completely different activities – Louis on The Voice, Niall with his Golf agency and Liam’s independent music label.

It’s not as much as a side job for them as it’s something that they enjoy doing and really care about, because they all found a way to help other people with things they knew about and could make use of it and at the same time, to keep themselves occupy while One Direction wasn’t active.

Now, with One Direction back in the game, they managed to find a way to juggle all of their works together and still hang with each other, like back in the day, either for work or just to be the old lads they’ve always been.

And because they are still Louis’ best friends, he decides to tell them about Harry one night when they are having pints on the open balcony of Louis’ house, facing Hollywood’s landscape. They are talking about how’s the show so far, since Louis didn’t have much time to catch up with them between the Blind Auditions and the Battle Rounds.

“Do you think you’ll have a winner this year?” Niall asks him, lying on a chaise lounge chair, beer bottle in hand, with his eyes covered in dark sunglasses, even though it’s almost pitch black outside.

“I have pretty good kids with me on this series, but it’s always hard to say, Horan. In the end, it’s not up to me, but I can do my best to help them get there so the public can decide if they deserve it.” Louis shrugs as he takes a sip from his beer and scratches the back of Clifford’s head as the dog is spread lying by Louis’ feet.

“But you already have a favourite, don’t you? You always have, Tommo. Don’t deny it.” Liam punches him on the arm playfully, as he takes a drag from his cigarette.

Louis doesn’t have to think too much before a face comes to his mind. He’s still not sure what’s about Lily that catches his attention so much, but he knows that she has a special place in his team already.

“It’s not like that, Payno. All of them have different types of talent, it’s hard to pick one.” Louis tries to avoid having to say anything that will give him away.

“But…” Niall instigates, though, lifting his sunglasses and wiggling his eyebrows at Louis.

Louis sometimes hates how the boys are always able to read through him.

“But,” Louis takes a deep breath, knowing that he can’t hide much from them, “yeah, some might captivate me more than others. That doesn’t mean I’m not working hard enough with all of them,” he quickly adds, not to let them think he is favouring anyone.

“See, so you do have a favourite. Who’s the lucky one to be under your wings this time?” Liam teases.

Louis shakes his head, rolling his eyes at Liam. “It’s a little girl called Lily. She’s very special, but also,” he laughs to himself, “she has a very interesting backstory.”

“What about it?” Niall sits properly on the chair, making Clifford turn his attention to him and leave Louis to go over to the Irish lad.

“It’s kinda surreal, to start with,” Louis takes one more sip, preparing himself to tell the boys about Harry. “But, do you by any chance remember the boys who were at bootcamp with us?”

Liam frowns at Louis, cigarette hanging between his lips. “That’s too long ago, mate. I barely remember the kids I met last week that I want to sign. There were too many people with us back then, not to mention that being as nervous as I was, I don’t think I paid attention to most of the others.”

“You barely paid attention to us, mind ya,” Niall points out. “But, yeah, I might remember vaguely some faces, would never be able to put a name to them though. Why’s that?”

Louis nods because he knows that besides Harry, if he ever met anyone that was with them during the show on the streets, he’d never recognize any of them. Harry’s an exception that Louis is still trying to figure out why he has never really forgotten.

“Because she happens to be the daughter of one of the boys that were with us. Harry Styles, does that ring any bells?”

Liam seems to be processing the information for a second before he shakes his head.

Niall has a concentrated face, a hand over his chin, itching it thoughtfully before he suddenly knocks his pint of the round table beside his chair loudly. “Ah, I think I–” Niall exclaims, and that startles Clifford for a moment, making the dog bark at Niall and get up, wanting to jump on his lap.

“Down boyo,” Louis calls him as Niall tries to untangle himself from Clifford’s big paws. “What’s that for, Nialler? Now he thinks you want to play with him. He still thinks he’s a puppy, a big one, but still... you know that.”

“Your dog is a massive dork, that’s what,” Niall is laughing when Clifford tries to lick his face, “all right Cliff, I’ll play with you later, now sit.” He holds the dog’s paws, trying to bring them down. Liam, being the helpful and always the most practical among them finds one of Clifford’s toys on the floor and tosses it across the balcony so the dog can take his attention from Niall and go after it. “Thanks, Li,” Nialls says, composing himself once Clifford sprints after the toy, “as I was going to say before I was rudely interrupted by a horse,” he laughs and Louis flips him the finger, “I think I remember a certain Harry. Might it be the same Harry you couldn’t stop talking for the first days at the Judges’ Houses? The one that you met at the bathroom?” Niall’s eyes grow with realisation.

“Yup, that one.” Louis only nods, knowing that Niall is ready to take the piss out of him for the old times.

“Oh, _that_ Harry,” Liam seems to recall as well. “That’s unbelievable, who could think you’d meet him again?”

“Certainly not eighteen year old Louis who was pining because he never got the chance to speak with the boy again.” Niall cocks his head at Louis and all Louis can do is flip him off again.

“I didn’t pine, c’mon,” Louis retorts.

“You did, mate, That was really bad. Zayn wanted to jump off the windows every time you’d say that you could picture Harry in the house with us.” Liam laughs. “But hey, it only took you twelve years to meet him again, and through his daughter, wow. I don’t think eighteen year old Louis could’ve imagined that, or would’ve liked that,” he frowns again, putting out the butt of his cig on the ashtray.

“How does thirty year old Louis feel about that?” Niall asks, and Louis can hear the teasing tone in his voice.

“He doesn’t feel anything,” he lies. “I mean, I don’t feel anything, why are we talking about me in the third person, I’m right here. Anyways,” he shakes his head, drinking from his beer, “he is not the one I should pay attention to. I just find it interesting that his daughter auditioned. She even sang One Direction, because apparently the lad became a massive fan of us.” He tries to change the direction of the conversation to avoid Niall’s prying questions.

“You shouldn’t focus on him, and yet, somehow the girl is your favourite and you look like you have hearty eyes when you speak about him. Yeah, sure,” Niall points out, holding his sunglasses in his hand, actually pointing it to Louis’ face.

“I shouldn’t be surprised if he only started being an One Direction fan because of you,” Liam adds, winking at him, and Louis wants to strangle both of his friends, wishes Clifford was one of those mad dogs that would kill at Louis’ command and murder Liam and Niall right there for him.

“You both can shut the fuck up and stop this shit right now. He’s my contestant’s father, it’s only a coincidence that we’ve met before on the X-Factor.” Louis rolls his eyes at them.

“And that he’s the boy you had a crush on,” Niall says, teasing.

Liam joins him. “A crush that seems to have come back.”

“Have you talked to him?” Niall doesn’t even give Louis time to tell them to fuck off before he asks again.

“Of course. I talked to him about his daughter, about the show.” Once again, Louis lies, leaving out the parts where he and Harry had joked around, the parts where they gave each other lingering looks, the parts where Louis was truly on the verge of flirting with Harry. He doesn’t need any more teasing from Liam and Niall than he’s already getting.

“Right,” Liam squints his eyes at Louis, “alright, you’ll still have time to talk to him. Won’t you invite the kids to your house as you always do?”

“Yes, I will, when I go back to London, but tell me, why would I want to talk to him? What would I want to talk about with him, Leeyum?” Louis is getting pissed at their insinuations. He should never have opened his mouth to tell them about Harry.

“To catch up with all the twelve years lost between you? To see if you can sparkle a little crush out of him on you,” Niall answers for him, “I mean, it’s not that hard to imagine that he surely might’ve had wet dreams about you.”

“What the fuck, Niall.” Louis scoots over closer to Niall to punch him on the arm, earning a yelp from the Irishman. “First of all, he has a daughter, I don’t even know what his deal is.” Louis tries to ignore the memories of how Harry didn’t seem bothered by any of his comments, and how flustered he seemed by them actually, not only now but also back then when he was sixteen. Also, Anne had mentioned something about Harry not having serious relationships with girls, and Louis isn’t sure if she had implied something more with that at the time they spoke on the phone.

“Mate, not to stereotype, but no heterosexual lad is that into One Direction. We well know that. So, you might have a shot in finding out if his teenage crush could become something more if you get the chance to have a nice conversation with him, outside the whole The Voice thing with his daughter,” Liam argues.

Louis takes a long breath, because deep down, he knows that he’s been dying to have a real talk with Harry. Those small chats with him had done nothing to cease Louis’ curiosity in knowing the man again. Louis had tried not to think about Harry for the past weeks, had tried to figure out if his infatuation on him was only caused by the surprise of being face to face with him after so long, but, in reality, he can’t deny that he truly thinks there’s something going on. His heart seems to be betraying his mind, not letting him separate the old Harry he once knew with the Harry who is the father of one of his semifinalists.

“I’m not gonna use my time with the kids as an excuse to… do whatever you guys are suggesting I should do,” Louis dismisses Liam’s comment, “it’s not like that. Just drop it, alright. Even if I wanted, it can’t be. I need to be professional.”

“Alright, so you just admitted that there is something there,” Niall sends him a knowing smile, “but okay, you’re right. But, if, by any chance, you happen to have some time with the guy, don’t waste it, Tommo. The father has nothing to do with the show, you’re not doing anything wrong, technically. So, throw the kids this awesome party and see if you and Harry have things in common, that’s all,” he suggests nonchalantly.

“We’ll see.” Louis shrugs, with no real answer for Niall as he takes one last sip from his beer, letting the subject die at that.

Although, in his head, the topic never really goes away. Louis knows he should be thinking about the kids he’s working with, but he can’t deny he’s not only looking forward to seeing them again, but also Harry. And when he calls the kids’ families to invite them for his team’s usual get-together, he expects that this time he’ll talk to Harry on the phone, because he calls directly at their bakery phone number, but once again it’s not the man who answers it. It’s his sister Gemma, who Louis finds out is the co-manager of the establishment, and Louis gives her the information for when he’s expecting the kids at his house, gives her his London home address and tells her that he can’t wait to meet Lily and see what she’s up to. Which is true, obviously, but he had to hide the fact that Harry is also in the back of his mind when he thinks about Lily.

He feels a little guilty for that and thinks about what Niall said about Lily being his favourite because of Harry. He wants to deny it, tells himself that he’s not being biased, because even before he knew whose daughter Lily was, when he heard her singing and turned for her, he already thought she had been one of his favourite auditions. The fact that Harry came in the package with her is only a bonus, it didn’t influence him on anything. He chose her from the battle with Samantha and Maya because out of the three girls, she had been the one who showed him more energy and connection with the song, that was it.

This thing with Harry is something completely apart from what he feels towards Lily, even though the girl takes after her father in so many aspects. She is not Harry, though, she is her own person and one that really caught Louis’ interest in her talent besides anything else.

Louis just doesn’t know if this whole situation is in his favour or not, if meeting Harry again is something good or bad, if them having a bit of baggage from having met before is gonna put him in trouble or not. All he knows is that there is something in there for him, he just hasn’t figured out what yet and he’s not even sorry for having overstepped a little with the way he had behaviored around Harry, but he couldn’t help but be a little flirty with a very handsome and easy-going guy, who would actually blush at Louis at every word he’d say.

As Niall said, he is not doing anything wrong, and contrary to what he’s told himself, contrary to knowing that he should be absolutely professional in this situation, maybe he doesn’t care if he actually isn’t.

So, going back to London and getting everything ready to receive the four families at his house, Louis only tries to pull himself together and pretend that he isn’t eager to see Harry again. Even though he decided he wouldn’t lie to himself about how he feels about the man, he still has to be Coach Louis in front of everyone else and not let it show that he’s really just dying for an opportunity to have a private conversation with Harry while everyone else enjoys the get-together.

He sets the meeting for the week after coming back from LA and one week before the kids are supposed to get back to the studios for their first rehearsal with the piano and Louis is happy that everyone’s able to make it so they have a nice time together with him. He likes to have this moment with his four semifinalists to show them that he cares about their development, that he’s committed to helping them not only for the cameras and he thinks it’s very important for them to have this contact more personal with him and with what Louis has to show them about music and to pass on his own experience and knowledge. This is one of Louis’ favourite parts of being on the show, it’s one he always looks forward to (and this year, if there’s one thing making him more excited about it, he doesn’t let anybody else know).

The families start arriving at his house that Saturday afternoon and Louis greets them excitedly. Kaleb and Serena being the first ones, then a few minutes later Yvan and lastly Lily.

Louis tries to ignore Harry’s presence without being rude, of course. He just needs to focus on the kids instead of on how beautiful Harry looks, casually dressed with a black jumper with some space themed print with colourful planets on it, mustard corduroy trousers and black vans. The combination is a bit odd, but somehow it fits well together with Harry, which makes him even more attractive than Louis already finds him. Harry’s quirkiness to dressing up doesn’t seem to have disappeared, Louis makes a mental note about that.

Greeting him goes smoothly, since Louis had already been engaged in conversation with the other parents, not having much time to talk to Harry more than cordially. When everyone is finally gathered at Louis’ living room, he makes them comfortable, keeping the chatter flowing, not only talking about their children, but also about the parents and the families, letting them know more of one another too, so they all get friendly.

He sees the kids are already getting along well, even with the age differences, Lily being the youngest one and Serena the oldest, but it’s nice to see that somehow they have bonded over the show. He turns his attention to them, asking how they are enjoying the competition so far and all of them seem very excited about it. Yvan seems to be the most serious out of the four of them, but still Louis can see how thrilled he is. Kaleb is a bit shy, but tells Louis that everyone at his school is being super nice to him because he’s on the show. Serena is shy too, not saying much, only that she can’t thank Louis enough for the opportunity. Lily, on the other hand, seems ecstatic about it all, saying that she can’t believe she at Louis’ actual home.

Louis take this cue to invite them to head to his home studio, asking if any of them had ever been to a real studio before. They all say no, so Louis takes them there, the parents following along. At the studio, Louis shows them how it works and encourages each one of the kids to sing in the booth, with no pressure of course, choosing any song of their choice. He records them and shows how they sound afterwards, also giving them hints of how they could improve their singing. In the end, the kids and Louis end up singing together one of his solo songs and only because Louis knows it will make Harry a little bit embarrassed, he also invites the parents to sing, this time a One Direction song. Best Song Ever ends up being a mess, as not all the parents know the lyrics, but they all have fun when they hear it and Louis can’t help but smile openly at seeing everybody having a great time.

They take a while at his studio and when they go back to the main house, it’s already almost evening and the catering Louis had hired for their small dinner party is already set. There are lots of sweets and snacks for the kids to enjoy, Louis really didn’t skimp on pampering them with things he knows they love, and they seem to enjoy everything, eating away while chatting and playing around the house, Clifford being one entertaining distraction for them. The adults keep talking among themselves and Louis joins them, finally allowing himself to pay some close attention to the man he couldn’t stop thinking about. He tried as much as he could to avoid looking at Harry all afternoon, but sometimes he couldn’t help himself. Since he arrived, it was as if Harry had a light of his own, looking so soft, smiling all the time at Lily, being gentle with the other kids and the parents, giving Louis some discreet glances when Louis caught them, his dimples showing up along with his green eyes that were so shiny, looking even more gorgeous than Louis had ever seen him. It’s very hard for Louis to contain himself from only wanting to talk to him while he has to divide his attention equally amongst all his guests.

Louis thinks he succeeds in not looking suspicious in his task to interact with Harry normally, asking him how Lily has been doing, what she’s looking forward to doing at the show next, how Harry’s dealing with all that, not entering any personal subject, but dying to know a bit more of how Harry and Lily’s life is. Harry tells him that Lily is a bundle of excitement, she can’t stop singing all over the place, has become quite the attraction at the bakery when she stays there with Harry after school hours.

Time goes by fast and even if Louis wants to keep talking to Harry all night long, there’s not much he can do to prevent the night from ending. Yvan’s parents inform that they have to get going, since they live a couple of hours away from London and as they’ve come by car they should already be leaving as so not to arrive home too late. That seems to be Harry’s cue as well.

“Louis, I’ve enjoyed this so much. It was very lovely and thoughtful of you to invite the kids and all of us, I’m sure it will make a difference to them. Lily couldn’t stop talking about coming down to London to see you again,” he says, still with a smile on his face as he’s had all day, but with a downcast look, “but I’m afraid we’ll have to go too, we gotta get the last train to Manchester, because it’s a long journey back there.”

“You didn’t come by car?” Louis asks curiously.

“Unfortunately not, I had to leave it for the bakery, we had a catering booking today and they needed it for the delivery. So the train it was.” Harry cocks his head, shrugging slightly.

“I hope this wasn’t any bother for you, having to come all the way down here and leaving your work commitments behind, then,” Louis says, earnestly, now thinking that Harry had chosen to come with Lily instead of being at work.

“No, it was no problem at all. Also, I’d never let Lily miss this.” His smile is a bit more cheerful this time. “She’s had the most fun, you can bet. I’m not even sure where she is right now, might be running around your dog, she loved him.” Harry laughs, looking around, trying to spot Lily.

“Clifford adores kids. Every time my siblings come around, they have the best time with him. He’s not a puppy anymore, but he sure behaves like one, a gigantic goof.  Playing with the kids is what he loves most, I wouldn’t doubt they are outside in the garden,” Louis comments, pointing to the glass door that leads outdoors.

“It’s not really difficult to imagine for sure.” Harry nods. “I’ll go check if she’s there so we can go then.” He starts walking and Louis follows him, not so thrilled about their departure. He’s glad though that he’s got to talk a bit with Harry, because the minutes he spent in his company was totally worth waiting the whole day, specially seeing how cheerful Harry was to talk to him too (Louis tried to keep the banter and the flirting at bay, but still, the way Harry smiled and looked at him was enough to make Louis be more endeared by the man than he already was).

Just when Harry is about to go outside, Lily comes back inside through the door. Louis gets a bit worried, because the girl is looking very poorly, both arms holding herself by the stomach. Serenna and Kaleb come right behind her and Louis can see that Clifford is outside, so his suspicion that they were all playing with him is confirmed.

“Petal, are you alright?” Harry asks, taking a large step towards Lily, kneeling down with one leg to be on her level, one hand caressing her face as she shakes her head.

“I don’t feel so good, my tummy is hurting too much, Dad. I feel like I’m gon–”

She doesn’t even finish the sentence, turning her head to the other side and throwing up on Louis’ floor.

“Dear Lord, Lily, is everything okay?” Louis quickly gets closer to Harry and Lily, too concerned for the girl now.

He glances at Harry to see a complete terrified look on his face. “Jesus, Lily. How bad are you feeling, love? How long have you been feeling ill?” Harry asks in a panicked tone.

Lily shakes her head, taking long breaths as she cleans her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Sorry,” she says, looking back at Louis and Louis only has the heart to mouth a “that’s okay” to her.

“Lily, talk to me, please, love.” Harry sounds even more desperate as he gently brushes her hair with his fingers, taking it off from her face.

“A while,” she answers very weakly.

Harry breathes in sharply and closes his eyes for a second.

“Did she say anything to you guys?” Louis turns his attention to Serena and Kaleb who had been watching the whole thing with worried looks as well.

“She told me a couple of times that her stomach was making funny noises,” Serenna replies, “I even asked if she wanted to come back inside, but she said she would talk to her dad when she stopped playing with Clifford.”

“And then all of a sudden she started crying and came running back here,” Kaleb adds, “and that’s when this happened.” He points, a bit disgusted, to where Lily had vomited.

“Lily, why didn’t you come back here sooner, sweetheart?” Harry is looking back at his daughter, concern written all over his face. “Is this because you’ve been running all over the place after eating? How much have you eaten?”

She nods and Louis can see she’s starting to get paler, her eyelids barely open. “A lot of hot dogs and the muffi–”

Again, she’s barely finished speaking as she looks to the other side and throws up a bit more.

“Oh my God, Lily.” Harry is now completely desperate as he gives Louis an alarmed look. “Louis, I’m so sorry. Can’t apologise enough for all of this.”

“Harry, please, your daughter is sick, you have nothing to apologise for,” Louis says sympathetically and still worried about Lily. His carpet be damned, he can get that cleaned, but that’s not what they should be focusing on. “Do you need to give her any medicine? I might check if I have anything. It’s been a while since my siblings have been around, though.” Louis starts getting up, trying to think where he can look for pills that Lily can take.

“I don’t wanna give you any more trouble, Louis. Thank you so much, but I can stop at the station and get her something at the pharmacy.” Harry runs a hand through his hair as he holds Lily with the other hand and brings her up in his arms.

Louis stops on his tracks as he’s about to walk towards the kitchen and turns to Harry. “Are you sure you want to take your kid on a three-hour train ride? Harry, I don’t mean to alarm you even more, but she does look very poorly, I don’t even think any medicine can’t help her feel any better so soon. You should take her to the doctor, really,” Louis reasons as he looks at Lily resting her tired head on Harry’s shoulder.

That seems to make Harry stop freaking out for bit and consider his options.

“You’re right. Oh my God, I’m so worried I’m not thinking properly.” Harry looks around, not at anything in particular, as if trying to decide where to go and how to get out of Louis’ house.

“Is she gonna be alright?” Kaleb asks, and Louis can see the boy is a little scared.

“She will, don’t worry,” Louis tries to assure him as he thinks of what to do next. “Serenna, Kaleb, could you please tell your parents to come talk to me for a bit? I think we might have to wrap up this party earlier.” He indicates with his head to the living room down the hall where the kids’ parents had been chatting while Louis and Harry started talking and walking to find Lily.

Both kids nod and go call their parents.

“Louis, please, you don’t have to–” Harry starts, but Louis shushes him.

“Harry, there’s no way I can keep this thing going knowing that Lily is not well at the hospital. You were already leaving, I bet the other parents wouldn’t take long to go home as well.”

Harry nods in understanding and Lily growls in his arms as he caresses her back up and down.

“You should really get going to the hospital before she throws up again. Here’s what we can do,” Louis guides Harry to talk to him close to the entrance door. “Gimme your phone, I’ll call a cab for you. I’ll finish here and bid everyone farewell and then I’ll head to the hospital and meet you there. I’ll give you my number so you can tell me what hospital you went, alright?”

“Seriously, Louis, you don’t need to, but thank you, I appreciate it,” Harry says as he pulls his phone from his pocket and hands it to Louis.

“It’s the least I can do, don’t worry about it.” Louis smiles at him and dials the cab service, ordering a car. They have one just a couple of minutes away, and Louis leads Harry and Lily to the front gates as Louis saves his number for Harry, also texting himself so he has Harry’s number as well. “Alright, done. If you don’t call me when you arrive there, I have your number now and I’ll ring you, okay?”

Harry gives Louis a tiny smile as he says thanks and grabs his phone back just as the cab is pulling in front of Louis’ house.

“Take care, I’ll be with you in a few.” Louis closes the door when Harry gets inside with Lily on the backseat.

The cab drives away and Louis lets out a deep and loud sigh, not really believing how that night had turned out. He also can’t believe how concerned for Lily he is, he’s never seen a kid looking so sick in his entire life and he has six siblings he had helped his mother take care of.

He goes back inside and Kaleb’s and Serenna’s families are already getting ready to leave after the kids told them what had happened. Louis apologises but they say they understand the situation completely, it’s the only sensible thing to do. Serenna’s mother even asks Louis to let her know how Lily’s doing later and Louis says that he’ll try.

When everybody’s gone, Louis takes a moment to collect himself and the mess that his house has become. He doesn’t take too long cleaning everything, he only puts most of the things back in the kitchen and fetches a cloth to clean Lily’s vomit before he leaves so Clifford doesn’t come inside and have a feast with it. He knows his dog, he can’t trust him to behave well while he’s gone.

Harry hasn’t called Louis when he checks his phone, only to see the text he had sent himself. It’s been almost 30 minutes since Harry’s left, but he knows that the man must be with his head elsewhere to remember to call Louis even if he had agreed to do it. So Louis calls him instead, but it rings until the call goes to voicemail. Louis tries again right after and this time Harry picks up.

“Harry, it’s Louis,” he says without waiting for a hello from him. “Did you make it to the hospital safely? Where are you?”

“Oh Louis, hi there. I completely forgot to ring you. We arrived just a few minutes ago and they had me fill out her form and I was talking to the doctor. Yeah, it was alright. She threw up again in the cab though, but they are already taking care of her. We’re at St Thomas’, if you want to come down, but it’s really not necessary, Louis, I can–”

“Harry, I’m not gonna say it again,” Louis cuts him off, “so I’ll just head there and meet you and you can tell me what the doctors said about her situation. I’ll see you in a while, bye.” Louis knows he’s a bit rushed and rude to Harry, but he can’t afford to let the man say that he doesn’t need to be there for Lily. He wants to, and so he does, ending the call before Harry can say anything else.

He takes his car and drives to the hospital, thankful that it’s a bit later than the usual London rush hour that he can make the distance in reasonable time.

The place is not crowded when Louis arrives and heads to the Children A&R ward. He quickly spots Harry and his unmistakable black jumper sitting beside a bed where Lily’s been laying, not sleeping, though, Louis notices as Harry’s talking to her.

“Hey,” he announces himself as he waves at Harry and stands before the entrance, where only family and guardians are allowed inside.

“Oh, hi,” Harry looks tired already even though it hasn’t even been an hour since he’s been there. He kisses Lily’s forehead after saying something to her and leaves her side, walking to meet Louis.

“So, how’s she doing?” Louis asks, realising he hasn’t stopped feeling concerned for the girl.

“She’s doing better now, they just medicated her through an IV in the vein and they said that once the medicine is over, we are clear to go,” Harry answers and Louis can see he’s a bit calmer than he previously was at his house.

Louis is relieved to know that. “Oh, good, thank God. But what did she have anyway?”

“Well, it seems she had indigestion after she ate too much from the snacks, and too fast apparently. All the mini hot dogs, hamburgers, the muffins and cupcakes didn’t suit her well.” Harry gives Louis a lopsided smile and Louis feels a tad guilty for that, since he was the one to provide all that food for her to eat.

“I’m sorry about that, I didn’t think any kid would have a problem with those. Nobody had ever felt this bad before,” he apologises.

“It’s not your fault, Louis,” Harry assures him, “I should’ve paid more attention to her. She’s usually fine with these types of food, she’s always eating the pastries and sweets we have at the bakery, but she has to eat them moderately. She had a case of acid reflux when she was a younger, so we’re always watching closely the amount of these things she eats,” he explains. “She also knows that, but I think she got carried away today. I just should’ve been more careful.” Harry leads a hand to itch at his forehead, nervously.

“Oh, that’s too bad for a little girl,” Louis sympathises, “but she’s gonna be okay now, isn’t she?”

“Yeah, she has put most of all she ate out already, and with the medicine, the sickness will go away. It’s nothing serious, she’ll be back on her feet in a couple of hours. That’s it, if she doesn’t end up sleeping right at that bed,” Harry laughs humorlessly, “and I think it might end up being a good thing, because we actually ended up missing the time to catch the train.”

Louis looks attentively at Harry, seeing how exhausted the man is and clearly not even considering that Louis would never let Lily and him spend the night at the hospital.

“Harry, please. You can’t stay here all night long,” Louis starts and Harry shakes his head.

“At this late at night, it might be hard to find a room at any hotel, even at the cheapest ones.”

Louis can’t believe Harry has just missed the whole point of what he had said. “Are you even listening to yourself? I know you’ve had a rough end of night, but, Harry... You don’t need to spend the night here or anywhere else. I won’t let. I’m taking you both home, it’s the least I can do,” he finally offers, to make it clear to Harry once and for all.

“Oh,” Harry lets out in a surprised tone. “Louis, that’s– we can’t– I don’t wanna overstay our welcome. You’ve done too much already, there’s no need to.” Louis can feel Harry’s reluctance to accept his offer.

“This is nothing, Harry. It would be too rude of me to let you guys go when I have a house that you can stay at without having to worry about anything else. It’s just one night, in the morning once Lily is feelings way better, you can go back home. And, I know you’ll say no, but I feel partially responsible for this, so it’s only fair that I’ll pay for your ticket back.” Louis is serious when he speaks, trying to show Harry that he really means it.

Harry watches him, nervously chewing on his bottom lip as he looks around to see Lily lying on the bed. He seems to be considering what to do and Louis knows it would be too stupid for Harry to reject it. It’s the best for Lily, after all and Harry is the kind of parent that will always try to give his daughter just that.

“Alright,” the man finally gives in, and gives Louis a small thankful smile. “I guess you’re right. But the train tickets, that’s–”

Louis interrupts him. “Non Negotiable. I’m doing it. As a matter of fact, I’m doing it right now.” He pulls his phone, opening a booking app to look for train tickets for the next day.

“Oh my, Louis. Okay, you don’t need to do that,” Harry chuckles and Louis gives him a pointed look. “I mean, not now. I appreciate it, really. You’re already being beyond helpful tonight. We can leave the tickets for tomorrow.”

“Great then.” Louis smiles at him, feeling victorious for convincing Harry.

“Mr. Styles?” A nurse approaches them and Harry turns around to talk to the lady. “Your daughter’s medication is over now. You’re clear to take her home.”

“Thank you so much, I’ll go get her.” Harry nods politely. “Just gimme a second and we can go then?” He turns to Louis.

“Sure. I’ll wait here so we can go to my car.”

Harry smiles softly back at Louis and walks inside the ward to pick up a sleepy after the doctors release her from the IV tubes.

It doesn’t take long for Harry to come back and walk along with Louis, carrying Lily in his arms, to the car park. Harry sits with Lily on the backseat and the drive back to Louis’ house goes smoothly as Harry keeps speaking quietly with Lily. Louis can see through the rear view mirror that Lily does look much better than a couple of hours ago. She’s very sleepy, cuddling up to her father’s side and smiling weakly as Harry leaves kisses all over her face and caress her hair.

Louis can’t deny that he feels too endeared by the scene and it warms his heart to see Harry so careful and attentive with his daughter. It reminds Louis of how his mother used to take care of him and his siblings, something he’s always wished to be the same if one day he’d have children of his own.

Louis pulls over at his garage not too long after. He helps Harry take Lily from the car and leads them inside the house.

“She’s already almost falling asleep,” Harry says, very quietly, “the doctors said that she doesn’t need to eat now, so it’s best if I just put her in bed.”

“Alright, you can take one of my guest rooms. My sisters and the younger twins always use them, I hope they’ll do for you.” Louis points to the stairs that lead to the bedrooms upstairs and Harry follows him as they walk up.

The room is in good condition when Louis opens the door and Louis is always thankful for his cleaning staff for leaving his house impeccable. He’ll have to call them to help with the mess from the party and he’ll make sure to let them know how their job is always done so well.

Louis is by the door watching as Harry tucks Lily in, taking off her shoes and smoothing the bed sheets and duvet as she lies and gets comfortable in bed.

“Goodnight, petal. I promise you’ll be feeling much better by the morning, okay? Sleep well, I love you,” Harry says, kissing the top of her head one last time.

He walks to the door and Louis smiles at him, turning off the lights, closing the door, but not completely.

“You can relax now, she’ll be fine.” Louis tries to comfort him as he guides Harry back downstairs. “Do you wanna drink something? Maybe a cuppa?”

Harry exhales heavily and nods. “The truth is, a father never really relaxes, but a cuppa will make do for now.”

Louis chuckles softly. “A good mug of tea is always the solution for any problem. Let’s go to the kitchen then.”

When Louis imagined how the day would go, he only figured he’d have a good time with the kids, that the parents would get along and that maybe he’d get a chance to talk alone with Harry. What he didn’t imagine was that the last part would actually be happening late at night, with Harry drinking tea sitting by Louis’ kitchen table, as an outcome of Lily sleeping in one of Louis’ rooms after being ill. That night had a turn of events Louis would have never predicted.

And now, sitting with Harry, Louis is somewhat happy that all of that had happened. Of course, it was unfortunate of Lily to be sick, Louis was and still is concerned about her well-being, hoping that the little girl will be fine when she wakes up the next day. But somehow, all of that was what gave him the opportunity to have a moment alone with Harry.

Even if the conversation they end up having is nothing Louis had ever picture, Louis is glad that somehow, it still helps him get to know a little bit more of Harry. They start talking about Lily, obviously and soon, they are talking about Louis’ work at The Voice, about One Direction as well, then moving on to Harry’s bakery, entering in the subject of what had happened after the X-Factor.

“Your mother told me a bit of what happened to you after that,” Louis says, “I’m sorry that it didn’t work out for you.”

“Nowadays, I don’t even think about it anymore. I’m very content with how my life turned out, but back then it was very harsh to deal with it all,” Harry confesses, “I guess it wasn’t the right thing for me after all, I was too young. Even if it took me a while to get back on my feet and believe that I could do something for myself, I guess it was at least a good learning experience.”

“I might sound like you’re having a deja-vu, but I’ll say that I don’t believe that, because back then you were so talented, Harry, I remember it well and it’s a bit sad that you didn’t give yourself the chance to work on that, because really, you’d have made it.”

Harry laughs slightly, taking a sip from his tea. “You are too convinced about that, since then. I don’t know why, but thanks.”

“I know potential when I see one, otherwise I wouldn’t have the job I have, right?” Louis jokes. “But seriously, they should’ve given you another chance like they gave me and the lads. You could’ve been in One Direction with us, imagine that.” He winks at Harry, making the man scrunch up his nose, blushing a little.

“That would’ve been a dream coming true,” Harry says, flattered. “But, nah, I really think it is what it is. Imagine One Direction with five members? Who would I have been in that mix? Besides, if I had gone that path, Lily wouldn’t be here today, and I can never take her for granted. She is my life now, I can’t imagine it without her.”

Louis can feel the deep sentiment when Harry speaks, the love that the man has for his daughter bigger than anything else in his life.

“I don’t know, maybe you’d be the cute curly boy all the girls would swoon for,” Louis teases, “but I guess you’re right. Things happen for a reason, and even if your dream didn’t come true, you ended up having something that is more special than anything else you could ever have in your life.” Louis gives Harry a sympathetic smile.

“Thank you,” Harry’s eyes sparkle at Louis’ words, “that’s completely right. It might’ve been something completely unexpected, but she did turn my life around.” He has a soft expression on his face and Louis wonders what was it like for him to have a kid as young as he was. He remembers what Anne had told him, but he can’t lie he’s a bit curious to know from Harry what had happened.

Louis doesn’t know if it will seem too intruding to ask him about all that, but he can’t help himself.

“Anne told me about that as well,” he says, testing the waters and Harry lets out a chuckle, closing his eyes and shaking his head briefly.

“It seems like my mother spilled all the beans about my life to you,” he replies, but Louis notices that he isn’t mad, or even surprised about that.

“I might’ve been the one to indulge her, I’m sorry for being nosy,” Louis apologises, shrugging.

Harry laughs again, but then sighs, thoughtfully. “It’s alright. It’s not like I’m ashamed of what happened. In the end, what matters is that Lily is here, but in hindsight, I can admit I was too dumb back then.”

“Don’t blame yourself. Accidents happen, and come to think of it, you’re not the only one responsible for it,” Louis points out, trying not to be too harsh, as he doesn’t really know what had gone on with Harry and Lily’s mother.

“We were both stupid, let me tell you that. Drunk people doing stupid shit, basically. And the worst thing is that, I wasn’t even dating her. I told my mother that, just so she would get off my back,” Harry speaks and Louis lets him, even though he’s not expecting for Harry to really decide to tell him anything too personal. “I had seen Jess only once before we hooked up, and we just did it because I was pissed after having broken up with a guy I had actually been with but hadn’t told my mom about. She only knew I was seeing someone, so when Jess told me she had gotten pregnant, I thought the logical thing was to say that she had been the one I was dating, but we didn’t work out and I broke up with her without even knowing she was pregnant. That was shitty on my part, to lie to my mother, but once I found out about it, I tried to do the right thing, you know?”

Louis nods, encouraging Harry to continue, but a little baffled by Harry’s confessions.

“It was mostly my fault, because if I hadn’t been drunk, maybe nothing would’ve happened. But it did, and I had to deal with it and I couldn’t let Jess give the baby away, or you know, abort. Never. So I tried, and even tried to be in a relationship with her, but that was not what she wanted. She was going to go back to the US, that was all she wanted and I kinda ruined it for her, and I couldn’t force her into something as I was already asking too much of her to keep Lily. Anyway, that was way to complicated back then, but in the end… yeah, I don’t regret it, I don’t regret Lily one bit.” Harry lets out a tired sigh, looking at Louis with sad and a bit teary green eyes.

“I can see that,” is all Louis can say, because he is too speechless to process what Harry has just told him. When Anne shared Harry’s story, Louis would never imagine there was more to it.

Louis doesn’t know why Harry decided to open up to him like that, but it seemed that it was something Harry needed to get out of his chest. Even if it’s something too personal to share with a man he has no intimacy and doesn’t know well, but Louis feels a bit honoured that Harry trusted him to say all of that.

He can’t also deny that it’s at least interesting to know that Harry apparently isn’t straight. Not that it should get Louis’ hopes high, but it’s something to keep in his mind.

“You have a love for Lily that is so precious,” Louis continues, locking the thought away, “your relationship with her is so strong, you truly became a wonderful father besides the rough things you’ve been through.”

Harry smiles at him softly. “Somehow I want to make it up, you know? Never let her feel like she was something that I didn’t plan and didn’t want. I might’ve never planned it, but from the moment I found out Jess was pregnant, I never wanted something so much in my life. I remember wanting so bad to be on the X-Factor, of becoming famous and all that, but that had been a teenage dream you know? It was temporary. What I found out with Lily has never for a minute been something that I thought it wasn’t right. And every day, I’m thankful that I made the right decision and that she’s here with me now.” There’s too much sincerity and love is Harry’s words, and his eyes now have a more warm light in them.

Every time Harry speaks about Lily, it makes something inside Louis burst with respect for the man. There’s so much admiration between Harry and his daughter, and it’s something Louis only adds to all the good things he’s thought of Harry already.

That night, as they talk, Louis get to know Harry a bit better, only confirming to Louis how incredible the man is. Harry doesn’t seem to give himself so much credit, Louis sees as it’s hard for him to take Louis’ compliments. He never gives himself the credit he deserves for being such kind and lovely person, for raising his daughter the same way, and giving her the best and believing in her talented.

The conversation keeps going for a couple of hours and as they drink their teas and actually eat a bit of the leftover food from the party, Louis is a little bit  more charmed by Harry and it doesn’t take much for him to assume that Harry feels the same about him. The way they talk, the way they look at each other, the way Harry is attentive and asks Louis about his life, about what his life in One Direction and being a famous celebrity is like, what’s his relationship with his family with so much going on in his life… That’s more than a simple and polite chatter between them. It does feel like both of them are trying to get to know more of the other, bit by bit. Louis is trying to understand who Harry is beside being Lily’s father and Harry wants to knows more of Louis, the real him, not the boyband singer.

It feels like the start of a timid friendship, but one that Louis is hoping to blossom, into whatever way it can, because by the end of the night, he thinks that it would be such a pity for Harry not to be in his life somehow, along with Lily. He’s grown fond of the girl and his feelings for Harry are getting more clear for him, and to let that go, Louis doesn’t want to think of it just now.

He doesn’t want to even think about Harry and Lily leaving in the morning when he wakes up. If he could, he’d find a way to make them stay longer, but he knows Harry has to go back to Manchester as he has a business to run.

So, on Sunday morning Louis finds himself preparing breakfast for Lily and Harry as both father and daughter are still sleeping. Louis had offered Harry another room to stay, but the man preferred to go back to the one where Lily was, saying that there was no problem, they were used to sharing a bed, a habit that’s still hard for him to break for the little girl.

Louis is not used to cooking much, but he entertains himself trying to set the table and make something that is light for Lily as so not to make her feel sick again.

“Good morning, Louis.”

He hears a small girly voice say as he looks up from the counter and sees Lily walking inside the kitchen with her father in tow. They both look still very sleepy, and adorable, if Louis might add.

“Hello, Lily,” he greets her, smiling. “Are you feeling any better?”

“Much better!” She replies, cheerful and Louis is happy that the doleful look on her little face has completely gone away.

“Great!” Louis ruffles her already messy hair. “So I guess you’re ready to eat again, aren’t you? I made some pancakes and cut some fruits for you, would you like that?”

She nods excitedly and Louis preens at how cute the girls is.

“For you too, Harry?” He looks up at Harry, finally taking in his sleepy form, his hair a little disheveled from sleeping, the white t-shirt he had under his jumper all wrinkled from the bed.

“Sure, that’s fine.” Harry walks with Lily to sit by the table. “Thank you so much, Louis. For everything. For the party for the kids yesterday, for helping me with Lily last night, and for the talk. I really enjoyed that,” he says, softly, his green eyes a bit puffy but glinting a little.

“Don’t mention it, Harry, really.” Louis smiles at him as he hands him a cup of tea, remembering how the man had said how he liked it from last night. “I enjoyed it too.”

Louis sits along with them, and they all enjoy the breakfast before Harry and Lily have to get ready to catch the train that Louis has, as he previously promised, booked for them. They chat some more, and Lily joins them, being her lovely and funny self with Louis, going through and being overwhelmed by Louis’ Blu-Rays, CDs and Vinyls collections in the living room and even playing with Clifford for a while until it’s time for them to leave.

The cab Harry had called to take them to the station arrives and Louis is a bit sad that Harry, as he’d said that Louis has already gone above and beyond for them, doesn’t let Louis drive them there so he could have some more time with them.

“Once again, Louis, I don’t think I’ll be able to thank you enough for everything you’ve done.” Harry says as he’s standing by the cab door. Lily’s already inside, sitting patiently waiting for her father.

“You don’t have to, Harry. It was pleasure to have you over and that I could help. I’m glad that Lily’s feeling so much better now, that’s what matters. But I’ll let you know, that whatever you need, you can count on me.” Louis is not sure he is overstepping, but he wants to let Harry know that he’s there for them, for Lily. “I’m not only Lily’s coach, I also feel like, if you’d want, a friend. I’m happy to help anytime.”

Harry opens a smile at Louis, one that makes Louis almost stop breathing for how sincere it is, with his dimples showing off.

“I’m glad we’ve met again, Louis,” Harry suddenly steps closer to Louis as he speaks, “and yes, of course. Lily will be over the moon to have you as a friend. And so will I.” He breaks their distance, enveloping Louis in a hug.

It takes a second for Louis to respond to that, not expecting the gesture, but he hugs Harry back, tightly, feeling Harry’s heart beating faster against his chest before letting go.

“I’ll see you next week then,” Louis clears his throat, trying to focus again. He looks inside the car, waving at Lily. “Take care, Lils. Don’t want you getting sick again before the rehearsal.”

“I won’t!” She waves back at him. “Bye, Louis!”

“Bye, Lily!” He smiles at her and then turns his attention to Harry, who’s looking at him with a fond smile. “Bye Harry, have nice trip back home.”

“Will do. Bye then, Louis.” Harry slides inside the cab and Louis closes the door for him.

There’s too much going one inside Louis’ head as he watches the car drive away, but of one thing Louis is almost sure: whatever it is that has just happened between Harry and him since last night, whatever he and Harry have just shared, it seems to be mutual.

He doesn’t know what to do with that information just yet. He might have to vent to Niall and Liam to tell them the crazy events that happened the day before and what it was like to have a real conversation with Harry and, eventually blame them for instigating him to actually trying to get to know Harry better.

He might also have to sleep on that to let it all sink in, but as for now, Louis will let the smile on his face linger for a while as he gets back inside his house thinking about the moments he has just spent with Harry and Lily and looking forward to the next time.


	4. The Semi Finals - The Voice Kids UK (2022)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a while, sorry for the delay with this chapter. Life and Google Docs weren't cooperating to have it ready sooner, but after long, here it finally is!
> 
> To compensate, this is a longer one, with lots of things going on. So I hope you all enjoy it! :)
> 
> Special thanks to Nic and Bee for the songs suggestions! <3

_You can shake an apple off an apple tree_  
_Shake-a, shake- sugar_  
_But you'll never shake me_  
_Uh-uh-uh_  
_No-sir-ee, uh, uh_  
_I'm going to stick like glue_  
_Stick because I'm_  
_Stuck on you_

_♪_

 

While working in LA for the One Direction album, Louis also had some time to think about and research the songs for his semifinalists to sing. For this round, picking the songs hasn’t been any easier than it was for the Battles. It should’ve been, since now he has to make a choice that suits only one kid, but that’s when it becomes hard, because what to choose that will represent and also highlight his little singers individually?

So Louis spends days looking for songs and covers and it’s a bit frustrating when it seems there isn’t a perfect song for the kids, not because they won’t be able to sing it, but because Louis doesn’t think he’s giving them the song they deserve.

For Yvan, he has only one thing set in mind: it has to be an Opera song, because that’s what the boy is comfortable with and what will favour his voice and show all his potential. Louis doesn’t want to go with the cliche Opera songs, but he knows it’s a bit difficult since his knowledge is somewhat limited in that area – he has never actually had opera singing acts before, Pearl and Yvan were really the wild cards in his team this year. He asks opinions from everyone he knows – the producers he’s working with, Liam and Niall, even calls Ed Sheeran because the singer has worked with Andrea Bocelli before, and as a last minute resource, he asks Danny for some advice because the other coach had been on a Opera competition show some years ago and got a couple of opera singing kids with him in previous years. They help, but not as much as Louis gets even more indecisive about what to do, so he opts to stay in his comfort zone. He thinks it’s best this way, because giving something to Yvan that is not so well known might be tricky. He goes then with _La Donna È Mobile_ and only hopes the boy will be familiar and content with it.

Kaleb’s song is also hard to pick, because Louis sees his voice as strong and with that soul tone that doesn’t really match the boy’s age, but that actually fits him so well. He goes over some R&B singers, maybe considering Drake, Frank Ocean and John Legend. They might suit him, but he’s not really sure about it, because they sound too serious for an eleven year old boy. Moreover, Louis enjoyed seeing the boy singing something more modern during the Battles, so he decides to look again for more popular songs that were played over the radio. When he finds Avicii’s _Wake Me Up_ and remembers that Aloe Blacc, a singer with a very soothing soul voice, gave the vocals to it, he thinks he’s found the one that will bring out Kaleb’s voice just the right way.

Serenna’s choice goes much the same way. The girl has an inclination for R&B as well, but not as soothing as Kaleb’s, so Louis thinks about more powerful songs for her. Beyoncé, Rihanna, Alicia Keys and Mariah Carey are at the top of his mind, he just doesn’t know which one to choose. For her, he also needs something that will boost her confidence and show her that she has what it takes to be a wonderful singer. He just doesn’t want to intimidate the girl on this round, but he thinks she really needs this push, so when he decides on Beyoncé’s _Halo_ , he’s sure this will make the girl work on showing Louis that she can do the song justice, which Louis has no doubts about.

When it comes to Lily, though, Louis is really stuck, not knowing what to do. He knows he wants to give her something that will not only make her feel comfortable singing, but that will also challenge her a little bit. He recognizes she has potential, but all the strong choices he picks feel too serious for a little girl that seems to be a pocket of sunshine. He really liked the way she sang _Please Mr. Postman_ with such energy and he wants to find something that will bring exactly that again, along with a touch of sweetness that matches her personality.

Louis thinks about everything he knows about Lily, everything Anne and Harry have said about her and what he has observed from being around her as well. Lily is so adorable and fun to be around, she emits a soft light that warms up everyone around her with her so easy going personality. The moments Louis got to spend in her company were nothing but full of glee, even the day she felt ill during his party. The morning after when they had breakfast was so rich for Louis, because he really was able to see her as she is, not timid to be around cameras or him. Anne was right when she told Louis that the little girl can come across as shy at first, because once she felt comfortable, she really began to let herself go.

She was playful with Clifford, telling Louis that she has never had a dog before and that it’s very different from playing with the four cats in her family – her cat Evie, her aunt’s Olivia, her grandma's Dotty and her dad’s Dusty (“ _Is that the same cat you told me about at bootcamp?_ ” Louis asked Harry curiously. “ _Believe it or not, yes. She’s almost 15 years old, she and Dotty make the elderly cat population of the house, but they still take up on playing with Lily with the same energy as Evie_ ,” Harry had told him as they watched Clifford almost climb over Lily, sending the girl into a giggle fit).

She was also very interested in Louis’ film collection, which had become a gathering of his and his siblings favourite ones – basically it had turned into a collection of Disney movies, Louis never really had much say in it. Lily looked through them, telling him her personal favourites – Tangled, Brave, Mulan, The Little Mermaid, Moana and her all time favourite, Lilo & Stitch. (“ _There’s aliens in it! It’s the coolest film ever! I love princess too, but I don’t want to have a prince charming, I want to have a Stitch! I didn’t get one, Dad said aliens are very hard to find, so he gave me Evie instead_ ,” she had said when Louis asked why. Harry laughed when Louis raised a brow at him. “ _I had to take her mind off wanting an alien as a pet, c’mon, what would you tell a toddler as why they can’t have one?_ ” “ _That they don’t exist, obviously_ ,” Louis whispered to Harry. “ _I can’t believe you are that skeptical! You can’t be like this with six young siblings, Louis, please. Don’t tell me you were the boring big brother who told them that the Easter Bunny doesn’t exist? Gemma did that to me, it was very heartbreaking_.” Louis almost wanted to punch Harry on the arm, but he refrained himself from doing so, only rolling his eye at him as he laughed and said “ _Of course not. Your sister’s mean. I’m the cool big brother, the coolest, according to the six of them, thank you very much. I just try to keep them realistic. Not that I would actually know if aliens exist or not, but I wouldn’t keep their hopes high.”_ He shrugged apologetically).

That piece of information seems to give some light on what song Louis can find for Lily. Disney soundtracks have always been something Louis enjoyed, especially those from the musical films that Louis loved so much and they are never outdated, no matter if it’s from a really old one – they are considered classics for a reason. But knowing that Lilo & Stitch is Lily’s favourite one, he decides to check its soundtrack to see if he gets any inspiration from it.

It’s been a while since he watched the film or even listened to the soundtrack, so when he’s reminded that it’s full of Elvis Presley songs, he kinda feels like he has hit the jackpot. Elvis can have some very deep and sentimental slow songs, but the ones from the movie are mostly upbeat, with very sweet and fun lyrics and he thinks they will fit what he wants for Lily perfectly. He decides on _Stuck On You_ , because he can totally envision the way Lily will perform it, bringing her cute touch to it.

The lyrics are so amusing and enjoyable, and somehow, they make Louis relate to them, if he really thinks about it.

He doesn’t know how it has happened – well, he knows, but he just never thought it would turn into something more than cordial politeness – but since the day Harry and Lily spent at Louis’ house, the father and him have exchanged a few text messages. It started with Louis’ first one on the same day they left, only asking Harry if he and Lily had made it safely back to Manchester and if she had felt ill again, only for Harry to reply to him with a picture of Lily cuddled up with her cat and saying that she was doing fine. After that, Louis thought that was gonna be it, but later he received another message, this time a video of Lily talking to him, saying that she liked staying at his house very much, that she already missed him and Clifford. Harry had also sent a written message apologising for bothering Louis with that, but Lily insisted on sending him something as well. Of course Louis could never ignore a kid’s message and replied with selfie of him and Cliff, because he had zero self control. What he didn’t expect was to receive a selfie back, with Harry, Lily and their two cats (which he secretly saved to his gallery).

From then on, they’ve sent each other at least a message every day, mostly Louis nonchalantly asking how Lily was doing, under the pretence of being worried about her health (which he was, but he knew there wasn’t any more reason for him to since she was completely fine) and Harry replying and showing how well Lily was, sometimes with a picture or a video of her saying that she couldn’t wait to meet him for the piano rehearsals. Louis was almost telling Harry about the song he chose for Lily, but that would be totally unprofessional, more than he already thought all their interaction was, but he couldn’t help but become attached to Harry and Lily somehow.

Now that they have started it, Louis doesn’t know how to put a stop to it, because deep down, he can’t lie and say that it was never his intention to be this close to Harry and now that he is, he doesn't want to distance himself from father and daughter so soon.

To be honest, he doesn’t see that as anything more than two people being friendly with each other, and if he remembers well, he and Harry had agreed that they could be friends. Louis wants to be friends with him, even if his feelings for the man might be growing, even if he knows that what he really wants is nearly impossible, so he has to content himself with what he has right now and also make sure not to lose sight of what really matters in the end, which is Lily, after all.

So, when the piano rehearsal day comes, Louis tries to ignore thinking about meeting with Harry and tells himself that he’s there for the kids and not for the father of one of them. When it comes down to it, Louis knows that Harry is only a thought in the back of his mind that he can push away while he concentrates on his actual job.

Getting back in the studio, Louis is ready to meet with his little singers again and when he delivers the songs to them, he can see that they are all very excited about it.

Serenna is a little nervous because she feels the song is challenging for her, as Louis previously thought, but he makes sure to tell her that she can do it, that her voice is perfect for that song and she proves that once she sings it, feeling very happy about it.

Kaleb doesn’t know the song when Louis shows him it, but he tries his best to reach the notes and Louis can feel that he’s comfortable with it because it’s right up his alley.

Yvan makes Louis feel very relieved with his song choice, because the boy knows it very well, nailing the rehearsal with not much for Louis to tell him besides that he just needs to keep doing what he knows how to do well.

When it’s Lily’s turn, Louis is glad to see the girl again, but a bit apprehensive about what she will think about his choice for her.

“Hello, Lily. How are you doing today?” Louis greets her into the piano room and the girl walks towards him with a big smile on her face.

“Very fine, thank you,” she replies, happily, as they share a high-five.

“No more feeling sick this week?” He asks as she stands in front of him.

“Not at all. Dad made me promise to eat properly and Grandma made me lots of soup, so I’m feeling good as new today,” she giggles.

“Very well, then! Hope all this soup has helped you recharge to be ready to sing your next song. Do you wanna know what song it is?”

Lily nods eagerly and Louis hands her the sheet of paper with the lyrics.

“Is this…” She inspects the paper as she reads it and then looks up at Louis, “is this the song from Lilo & Stitch?” Her green eyes widen excitedly.

“It is indeed.” Louis smiles softly at her. By the look in her eyes, he feels completely relieved and knows he has made the right decision when she almost bounces on her feet.

“Yay, I love this song!” She says, chirpily.

“I knew you’d love it. So you know how to sing it, right?”

“Of course,” she replies as if Louis had asked her such obvious question. “Dad used to sing this to me all the time and every time we put on Lilo & Stitch I watch the scene it plays over and over again because it’s so fun.”

Louis can see how delighted Lily is with the song and how it brings her so many great memories. He can't help but feel like sharing something special with Harry in that moment, choosing the song only because of how he thought she would sound singing it, unaware of what it meant for the girl.

He wishes he could talk to Harry about the song and see his reaction to it, but after Lily’s rehearsal is over – which goes as smooth as it could be, Lily being so entertained by the song, sounding excellent and super fun in her voice – Louis doesn’t have the usual time to talk to his semifinalists, since he has a plane to catch right after leaving the studios.

Louis flies back to LA for the next week to meet with more producers to work with One Direction again. It’s another intense week, this time Liam and Niall bring their concrete ideas of lyrics and they are almost set on how to shape the album. Louis doesn’t have much time to think about anything else, but he is surprised when he receives a message from Harry when he lands in the States, telling him that he loved Lily’s choice and then in the middle of the week, a video from her watching Lilo & Stitch and singing the song.

_Thank you for making me watch this movie again for the hundredth time this week and it’s ONLY Wednesday_

Harry’s written him and Louis laughs, taking a picture of the Hollywood sign and sending him as a reply.

**I’m literally across the ocean, I didn’t do anything but you’re welcome . And I’m sure you don’t even mind watching it !! You love it as much as she does XD**

Of course, Harry replies with a video of him and Lily singing and if Louis had already been endeared by the pair together before, he doesn’t know how to describe what that does to him. Actually, he knows. It makes him even more eager to go back to London, not only for the taping of the show, but to meet with Harry again. This time, he doesn’t try to stop himself from thinking about Harry as they keep exchanging texts, mostly about Lily. But still, it’s something, even in a friendly way. It’s what has helped him take his mind off from work a bit and put a smile on his face, one that hasn’t gone unnoticed by Niall and Liam, but the teasing and prying from them he can ignore.

When Louis is back, it’s just in time for the proper studio rehearsal and the taping of the show. He barely has time to leave his bags at home and to take care of Clifford in the morning and he’s already in the studios that afternoon.

He meets with his acts again, gathering all four of them on stage and speaks with them a bit for the cameras, then calls each one for the individual rehearsals.

It’s a bit more bumpy than he thought it would be. Yvan and Kaleb are sick with sore throats and Louis can see how it affects their performance even though the boys still try to give their best. Louis doesn’t push them, because he doesn’t want to harm their voices even more, he only advises them to take care of it while they wait for their performances later on and hopes that they are relaxed enough not to jeopardise their singing.

With Serenna, things go way better. Louis is impressed by how good she sounds and when he tells her that, the girl still doesn’t believe in herself, not sure how to take the compliment. It’s nice to see that once she is singing, her shyness disappears, but when she speaks to Louis, it doesn’t seem like she’s the same girl. Louis is optimistic though that when the time comes for her to go on stage she will be as confident as she sounded just then.

Lily’s the last one to rehearse and Louis is already excited to know what her performance with the song will be like. Although he has seen a bit of her practicing through the couple of videos Harry has sent him, it’s completely different when she is on stage.

And when she starts singing, Louis has the confirmation that she has really dedicated herself to bring the most fun to the performance. She seems to be enjoying herself so much with it, she really connects with the song and for Louis it sounds simply flawless.

While she’s rehearsing a couple of times more, Louis catches sight of Harry in the seats watching her and being interviewed on camera. The smile he has on his face talking about his daughter is something so precious, Louis wishes he could keep that image forever. He is also so happy about how amazing Lily sounds, but there's something just so pure and deep about Harry's pride and devotion to his daughter that could never compare to Louis’ feelings.

“Wow, Lily, I’m truly amazed by what you did here! You are completely excited about this song, aren’t you?” Louis asks once she is done with the rehearsal.

“Yeah, I’m having the best time singing it. I can’t wait to perform for everyone,” she replies, glee written all over her face.

“If that’s how you’re feeling, then you’re gonna be awesome up here later tonight. The happier and more comfortable we are with a song, the better we feel on stage. So, just be sure to smash it and have fun, there’s nothing much for me to say besides that, because you sang it beautifully and you should be proud of yourself,” Louis compliments her and the little girl smiles widely at him, preening at his words.

“Thank you, I will give my best!”

“That’s what I like to hear! Now go prepare yourself for tonight.” Louis high-fives her before she walks down the stage.

Louis sees Harry, along with Anne and Gemma, waiting for her and as much as he wants to talk to him, he won’t have time before the show. He has to record some parts talking about the semifinalists and then he needs to get ready for the taping of the performances.

The smile Harry sends him is enough to warm Louis up a bit, and Louis wishes it was more settling than that, because as the hours go by, he starts getting anxious about what will happen when the time for him to pick who he will go to the finals comes.

“This is it boys, we have some big decisions to make tonight,” Pixie says as they are walking backstage together, heading inside the studio.

“This is one of the worst parts for me, always. Every kid is so talented on their own, it’s just too hard to let go of them,” Danny agrees.

“I’m having a really hard time this year. My four kids are just too precious and unique, and they really did their best in the rehearsals earlier. I’m sure I’ll be impressed by all their performances, I don’t know what criterion to use to decide between them,” Louis confesses, already feeling downhearted for what his decisions will be.

“Mate,” Danny puts an arm around Louis’ shoulder, “sometimes the best criteria are our gut and our heart. In the end, they are just kids and we can’t act purely on technicalities.” He squeezes Louis’ shoulder sympathetically.

Louis nods, giving him a close-mouthed smile.

“We all will be devastated for whoever we don’t choose, but don’t feel too bad about that, Louis,” Pixie adds, “what matters is that we did our best with these kids and gave them a chance to prove themselves.”

“I know.” He breathes in deeply, trying to calm himself. “Yeah, if we could we all would choose not to choose,” he laughs, making Pixie and Danny laugh along, “but as that’s what we have to do, let’s not dwell much on it and just get this over with, shall we?”

Pixie and Danny smile and nod as they stop at the studio entrance, waiting for Jo to give them the cue to enter as Emma is introducing the Semi Finals and then calling them on stage.

Once he’s there, it doesn’t become any less nerve wracking waiting for his contestants. His team is the second one to perform and he has already suffered through Danny's pick, going with Debbie and Henry from his team, and he can't imagine how hard for him it will be to choose two of his own acts.

When it’s finally his team turn, he tries to collect himself and not let his tension hinder how he watches the performances and his perception about the kids. One by one, they sing and all of them look and sound really good, engaging with the audience in their own ways and also receiving well deserved praises from both Pixie and Danny. Louis already identifies the best bits of each performance and the parts that he knows they didn’t do so well, but he doesn’t let them know about that when he talks to them, only focusing on congratulating and complimenting them.

With the performances over, Emma invites all of them over on stage again.

“We’ve had incredible four performances from Team Louis tonight, but unfortunately only two of them can go through to perform tomorrow night in our Live Finals,” Emma is talking to the camera before turning to Louis. “How are you feeling about making your choice, Louis?”

Louis closes his eyes briefly and takes a deep breath before speaking.

“You know, your heart is gonna break no matter what you decide to do. You’re happy for the people that will go through, you’re devastated for the kids you didn’t put through, so it’s really hard.”

He sees Danny and Pixie nodding in agreement.

“But you’re helping them on the way to reaching their dreams,” Emma says, trying to think about the bright side of it all.

“Yes, absolutely. I only hope they can see that and don’t give up afterwards,” Louis continues, already feeling too sentimental. It makes him think about what happened to Harry on the X-Factor and he doesn’t want any of the kids to ever go through what the man did back then.

“Hopefully they won’t. This is just the beginning for them,” Emma adds, “but now, it’s time to welcome back Yvan, Kaleb, Serenna and Lily,” she calls them and the four kids walk on stage as the audience, as well as the coaches, cheer for them.

Louis gives them a comforting smile as well as a thumbs up as he sees their apprehensive little faces looking at him.

“Louis, it is decision time for you,” Emma informs and the lights in the studio change, adding a bigger tension to the moment.

Louis’ smile falters for a second as he realises it’s now or never, he can’t delay much more this crucial decision.

He inhales deeply once again before he speaks to the kids.

“Yvan, I’ve never met a kid so obstinate as you before. You amaze me with your inner spirit and willpower to just keep going, it’s just amazing.” The boy is smiling nervously, but says thank you to Louis.

“Kaleb, you are such a cool lad. If I was your age, I’d love to be your best mate. You’re awesome and have an incredible voice, never forget that.” Kaleb is very shy but smiles softly at Louis.

“Serenna, I’m blown away by your performance tonight, your power is so contagious. It’s fascinating to watch you sing, love.” Louis sees the girl trying to contain a smile from spreading across her face as her shyness takes over.

“Lily, if I had kids, I’d want a daughter like you. You have such a captivating voice and personality. Your family should be very proud of you.” Lily smiles widely at Louis, nodding and he can see her eyes glancing somewhere in the crowd and Louis is sure she’s looking for Harry and he hopes the man took his compliment on her well, because it’s completely true.

“I’m genuinely blown away by each one of you, you guys did a brilliant job, I couldn’t be any more proud of you,” he addresses all of them one last time before Emma speaks again.

“So Louis, who’s the first singer you’ll take to the Live Finals?”

Louis considers it for a second before he’s certain about his decision. “The first singer that will go through tonight is Serenna.”

The entire studio cheers loudly as Louis watches the surprised expression on the girl’s face. She leads both hands to her mouth, completely baffled by Louis’ choice.

The other kids clap for her, but still Louis can see the apprehensive look on them.

Serenna goes over to Emma and hugs her.

“So tell me, how are you feeling?” The host asks.

Serenna only mumbles, and it shouldn’t be funny for how speechless the girl is.

“She can’t even speak, that’s how happy she is!” Emma teases. “You can’t believe it,” Serenna shakes her head and laughs. “Congratulations, Serenna. We’ll see you at the Live Finals.” Emma hugs her again and sends her off the stage. Louis then gets up from his chair to congratulate the girl.

“Well done, Serenna. You were unbelievable tonight!” He says as he hugs her. She replies with a soft “thank you” and moves next to Pixie and Danny, who also compliment her once again, then she walks away from them to meet with her family, who must be over the moon for her.

“So three singers remain and only one place left for the Finals,” Emma calls their attention back on stage. “Louis, I’m afraid it’s time for you to make your final decision.”

Louis doesn’t even have time to collect himself as he sits back on his chair.

He takes a look again at his last singers standing in front of him. Yvan has a serious expression and Louis knows he’s holding all his emotions inside. Kaleb couldn’t be more of the opposite, his whole face shows how dejected he already is and Louis’ heart hurts from seeing the boy like that. Lily is smiling with her lips closed but has a serene expression as she bounces on her heels nervously.

There’s a lot of pressure on Louis not to disappoint those kids, but it’s inevitable and also so unfair that he has to break two little hearts tonight. Even more with chants from the audience already telling him who they want him to pick.

“Okay, this is truly difficult for me. It’s just hard, you know, to make this decision,” Louis swallows dryly as he feels his voice trembling a bit. “Oh, Lord.”

“Louis, are you alright?” Emma asks and Louis nods, closing his eyes for a second.

When he opens them again, he takes a glance first at Pixie and Danny by his side, who give him encouraging smiles and then he looks back at the stage and takes in each one of the kids again, remembering what Danny had told him before the show started. He can’t make his decision based only on technicalities and accuracy, he has to go with his guts and heart,.

He can't lie to himself that he didn’t almost cry watching Lily not only singing perfectly but giving a full performance, giving it her own personality and interpretation of the song, becoming a confident little performer on stage while both boys’ performances lacked something and were affected by their sick voices despite Louis knowing they tried as hard as they could. He can’t ignore what his heart is telling him to do, though.

“I’ll have to go with Lily,” he says, announcing her as his last choice for the Finals and the girl lets out a surprised gasp as she jumps around.

The audience cheers again and Louis feels a weight being lift off from his shoulder, but at the same time, as if his heart is sinking for seeing Kaleb’s and Yvan’s sad looks even when Lily hugs them before she goes over to talk to Emma.

“That seemed really hard for you,” Pixie says in a low voice to him.

“Yeah,” Louis nods watching Lily speak into the microphone after Emma asked how she was feeling.

“I’m so happy. I can’t believe it. Thank you, Louis, so much, I won’t let you down.”

“Put your hands together for Lily, everyone.” Emma lets her go to meet Louis as he walks over the stage.

“You were so great, Lily. Congrats, love,” he says hugging her. She returns the hug quickly as she runs off stage to meet with Harry and her family. Louis looks briefly to see Harry taking the little girl in his arms, with shiny eyes and a smile as wide as his face as he nods in Louis’ direction and Louis can feel the gratitude in Harry’s gesture. Louis lets a tiny smile creep up on his face before he turns his attention to the boys on stage and is reminded that they must be really gutted about the outcome of his decision.

“I’m so sorry, lads,” he says as he pulls both of them for a hug at the same time.

“You were sensational, don’t ever doubt that. Your talent was so high level tonight, you should be proud of yourselves,” Emma chimes in as Louis breaks the hug and still sees the boys’ gloomy eyes. “Ladies and gentlemen, please put your hands together one last time for Yvan and Kaleb.” She calls the crowd and everyone clap enthusiastically for them as the boys walk off stage to go to their families.

Louis breathes in sadly as he walks back to his chair. He makes a mental note to talk to the families after the taping is over, to reassure them about how incredible their children are.

“Cheer up, man. We all know it’s not easy, but you’ve got two awesome girls with you and the boys know that they are very talented as well.” Danny claps him on his back before he takes his seat.

“I hope so,” Louis replies, still a bit shaken, but trying to look at the silver lining as Danny has just pointed out.

He doesn’t regret his decisions, he’s certain both Serenna and Lily have so much potential, he’s absolutely sure of how talented they are and that they have what it takes, not only for the show, but to thrive in a singing career in the future.

And that’s what he focus on and tries to make peace with that he can’t please everyone as he watches Pixie go through the same thing when choosing her finalists, taking Davis and Amanda to the finals.

When the taping is over, Louis heads backstage quickly to meet first with Kaleb’s and Yvan’s parents before they leave. He tells them just how much he believes the boys should continue on the musical path and that it’s not all over just because the competition is and that Louis will be available for anything they need, he’s more than glad to help them however he can. Both families thank Louis and he can see the boys are a bit more cheerful with Louis showing how much he cares about them and that makes Louis feel better, because he means it. He wouldn’t want to see such talent go to waste and he is glad that they believe in him.

After that, he then moves to talk to his finalists. He is more collected now to give the girls the proper congratulations.

Lily and her family are the first ones he goes over, and Louis can’t lie that finally speaking with Harry cheers him up even more. Specially when Louis has barely said hello to them and Harry is pulling him into a hug instead of a formal handshake to greet him.

“I can’t thank you enough for putting Lily through to the finals,” the man says and Louis can feel in his voice how grateful Harry is. Louis doesn’t have a proper reaction as he hugs Harry back and he wishes that the gesture could speak for himself. He wishes it could tell Harry how much he is feeling for Lily, how proud of her he is. But also that it could explain the tingling sensation as he holds Harry, one that he is not sure what it is, but that is growing inside him for Harry and for Lily.

“Once again, she did the job herself. It’s her own merit that she earned a place as a finalist,” Louis manages to say as he untangles himself from Harry’s embrace, smiling softly at him and quickly turning to look at Lily as so not to get caught up with Harry’s green eyes looking attentively at him. “You deserved it, Lily. You and your family should be completely proud of how well you did.”

“Thank you, Louis. I only listened to what you said and tried to put all I had into it.” She smiles at him and he can see there’s some small tears gathering in her eyes.

“Then I’m glad I was of  help.” He ruffles her hair gently.

“Even if you don’t want to take the credit, we are very thankful for everything you’ve done for Lily so far, Louis,” Anne tells him. “You’re very attentive and I just wanted to let you know that it matters so much and it makes a difference to these kids.”

Louis is moved by Anne’s words and can only nod in return. “Thank you, Anne. It’s my pleasure to be a part of this. It means a lot to me to know that. I hope I can help more in the future, because from now up ‘till the Finals it’s not much on me anymore,” he informs, sadly. “We’ll have a few months between that and we will only meet a couple of times, so Lily, you have to promise me that you’ll keep working hard.”

“I will, I don’t wanna let you down,” she replies eagerly.

“You won’t, I’m already so proud of what you’ve achieved, love. And it’s not me that you have to impress in July, it’s everyone at home, so keep that in mind, alright?” He reminds her, not wanting the girl to put so much pressure on herself because of him.

She nods and Louis smiles proudly at her.

“Great! We’ll see each other before the piano rehearsals for the Finals. The producers will let you know about that, alright?” He addresses her but turns his attention back to Harry. “But, if you and Lily need anything, know that you can reach me anytime, ok?” He lets him know, not wanting to lose the contact he and Harry have established for the past week.

“Of course. Thank you so much again, Louis,” the man says and his green eyes are so sincere Louis wants to bask in them. He’s pretty sure he’s not hiding whatever he is feeling for Harry at that moment as he finally takes his eyes from him to look at Lily’s grandmother and aunt to tell them goodbye, only to see Gemma watching him with a smug smile.

“I’ll see you around, then. Glad to meet you again, Anne and Gemma,” he extends his hand to each women and both of them shake it, Gemma taking a bit longer to let go of the tighter squeeze she gave his hand. “Congratulations again, Lily.” He crouches down to her level to give her a hug and when he stands up again, he waves at Harry. “Bye, Styles.”

The man waves back as he takes Lily’s hand in his and Louis tries to keep the image in his mind as he walks to talk with Serenna’s family, hoping that won’t be the last time he will see them before July. He is looking forward to keeping in touch with them one way or another and he wonders (and wishes) that Harry’s feeling the same way about him.

 

*

 

Having his daughter participating in a singing competition is truly a box full of surprises for Harry.

He knows how it is to be in one of those from his own experience, but he can’t compare it with Lily’s. For one, he was eight years older than she is right now, the emotions about the competition have different intensities for her than it had for him back then. Secondly, he hadn’t made it this far in the competition as Lily is now; and also, he didn’t have everyone he knew telling him that he would become a superstar. Louis had actually been the one back then to tell him that. Of course his mother and Robin always supported him, he had Gemma mostly teasing him but also cheering for him, and his father only hoped things wouldn’t go wrong (and when they did, he told him that life was like that anyway), so he didn’t feel like he was actually disappointing anyone but himself for thinking his life would change completely and he would become famous when he didn’t continue on the X-Factor.

Now, though, he partially feels responsible for instigating Lily into thinking that her future should be about meeting everyone else’s expectations about her talent. He has never said she has to become a singer, or that she needed to go to The Voice Kids, but he encouraged her, praised her on her singing skills constantly, which are much better than his at the same age, he can’t ignore that. Anne’s always called Lily her little angel’s voice, and was, as she had been with Harry, the one to insist on applying her for The Voice. Harry could’ve prevented that and said that she was too young for that sort of thing, but he’s always seen potential in his daughter along with her excitement about singing not only for her family but for other people as well and he couldn’t take that away from her.

But going to the Finals has brought something out in her that Harry never wished for her to feel as young as she is, something he only felt much older and that somehow, made him give up one of the things he loved the most.

It comes unexpectedly for Harry, because they’ve been having a great time for the last month since the Semi Finals. Lily has showed herself to be very excited, has been asking Harry to find different songs for her to sing and practice so she can be prepared for anything Louis gives her as her Final song and not once has Harry noticed any change in her behavior or in how she feels about the competition.

Lily has been staying with Harry everyday at the bakery during her Easter holidays from school, enchanting everyone that talks to her as she helps give them their change or hand in their order and on that Monday, she’s been her cheerful self as usual. Only when Gemma tells them goodbye and Harry still stays in finishing putting things in place for the next morning, that Lily seems to change her mood completely.

“Dad,” she calls him as Harry’s counting the money in the till. She’s munching on a chocolate muffin Gemma gave her before she left.

“Yes, petal?” He looks up at her, smiling, but frowns to see the serious look on her face.

“You never really told me what happened when you were sent home from the X-Factor,” she says, not really looking at Harry.

He is taken aback by her interest in that.

“What about that?” He asks carefully, not sure where she wants to go with that conversation.

“How did you feel about it? Because, you never really, like, sang after that and you always told me that you had a band before. Didn’t you want to continue singing when you didn’t continue on the show?”

Harry watches her, trying to understand where all that curiosity is coming from. He measures his words when he answers her. “Yeah, I did have a band back then and I tried for the X-Factor to look for something else, but it didn’t work out and I realized it wasn’t what I really wanted.” He knows he is not being completely honest with her, but he can’t let her know how devastated he was about that. “I just decided to give up singing for awhile, but then I never had the time again. And after that, you came, so I had to give my attention to something more important and special in my life,” he scoots close to her, bopping her nose, hoping to make her cheer up a little.

She does open a smile at him, but still a weak one.

“But, did you think you would have a chance to make it longer in the competition? And did you feel sad when you didn’t?”

It’s not like Harry is enjoying his daughter prying about a time in his life he doesn’t feel too keen on remembering, but it surely does feel like there’s something going on in her little mind and even if Harry doesn’t want to talk about, he needs to answer her.

“I did think, because I had a few people saying that the judges would love me and I believed them, but since the beginning, one of them told me I wasn’t ready yet and that made me doubt myself a bit and when I didn’t make it through, of course I was sad,” he decides to tell her. “But, Lils, why are you asking me all this?” He can’t help but question her, deciding it’s better to let her tell him what she’s been thinking about once and for all.

She twists her mouth into a sad smile as she looks up at him. “Because I don’t think I’m gonna win the show. The other kids are way more talented than me.”

Harry takes a second to process what she has told him. He didn’t think she would be this worried about the competition, especially as he’s tried as many times as he could to tell her that what matters is that she’s been part of it. He knows he’s also feared for the Battles and the Semi Finals, not wanting to think how she would feel if she didn’t make it through them, but he never thought it would actually affect her that much, that she’d be terrified and feel devastated for not continuing in the competition, something that he never wanted his daughter to go through the way he did.

“But the thing is,” she continues and Harry give her his full attention, ready to comfort her in any way possible when she tells him about her worries. “I think I don’t actually mind if I don’t win.”

Harry blinks slowly, trying to understand what Lily has said. That was not what he was expecting at all. She is worried about something, he can see that, but it seems that it isn’t not winning that is making her feel apprehensive. That’s just confusing, because somehow it’s good that she understands that winning is actually not the only goal, but still, it’s such a weird reaction from her since she seemed too excited about the competition.

“And are you okay with that?” He asks, seeking for an explanation from his daughter as so he can understand what’s really going on with her. “I mean, there’s nothing wrong in not winning, petal. Whether you win or not, this whole experience is what counts and if that’s how you feel, that’s alright.”

She takes a deep breath before she looks up at him again.

“It would be nice to win, of course, Dad, but... I’m not worried about how I’ll feel if I don’t.”

The way she’s talking keeps puzzling Harry. He has no clue what she actually means with all that, because it’s starting to make no sense. Maybe all the nervousness from the competition is making his little girl confused about how she’s really feeling about it all.

“Then what are you worried about, Lils?”

Her eyes are so sad Harry only feels like hugging her and washing away every bad feeling that is floating inside her head.

“I’m worried that I’ll disappoint you and Grandma and specially Louis if I don’t win.”

Harry almost loses his balance when she says that, because from all the things that he would’ve imagined, that has never crossed his mind as the reason for Lily being so concerned so suddenly. Obviously, it’s not sudden. This must’ve been something that she’s been mulling over and Harry doesn’t understand why she would feel like that. All he has done for almost 3 months is reassure her of how proud she has made him. He remembers, though, her insecurity before the Battles when she asked him if he would still love her if Louis didn’t pick her, but he thought that the way he calmed her down had been enough for Lily to never doubt herself or how he feels about her.

“Lily, why do you think you would ever let me down because of that?” He shakes his head and takes a step closer to her, enveloping both his arms around the girl, pulling her from the chair to make room for himself and place her on his lap. He sits down and makes his daughter look at him, giving her the most serene smile. “This is not about me, petal. I love you, no matter what happens. I will always love you and you will always make me the proudest. Of course, some day when you are older, there might be something you will end up doing that I’m not gonna be completely fine about–” he pinches her cheek, cleaning some chocolate from the muffin off her face and she giggles softly.

“Like getting a tattoo, you already told me that, Dad. But you have lots of them, I want one too,” she replies, poking at the mermaid on Harry’s arm and Harry feels relieved that she seems more cheerful to talk about something else.

“Maybe when you are as old as Dad is right now, maybe living somewhere overseas where I can’t prevent you from getting one, then maybe you can. It doesn’t mean I will be totally cool about that, but still,” Harry jokes, bopping her nose. “But, Lily, the thing is, right now you don’t have to worry about how I or anyone will feel if you don’t win. If you want to win, you have to do it for yourself, petal. Me, grandma, aunt Gemma and uncle Michal, even grandpa Des living far away, everyone from our family and, of course, Louis... we’ll be cheering for you along the way as we have been since the beginning. We love you and we love your special talent, that’s all we do and all we want is for you to be happy. Winning certainly would be something truly great for you, we’d be able to invest into something that you love and that can help you in the future and we will always support you in whatever you do. I don’t want you to feel pressured thinking that you have to win because we want you to win, love. I only want to see you succeed, always, that’s why I encourage you to do things I know you’re good at, but that doesn’t mean I’ll ever be disappointed if things don’t go how we hope them to.” He puts it the best way he can as Lily watches him attentively, with a tiny but still sad smile on her face.

“I love singing, Dad, I really do and winning would be just wow,” her eyes widen a bit, but not so enthusiastically as Harry imagined she’d be about talking about it. “But I think that’s not what I want to do when I grow up?” She shrugs, looking at Harry, maybe looking for any sign that Harry will be sad or disappointed with her revelation. “I just realized that I like singing, but only when I don’t have to do it as an obligation.”

“You think being on the show is an obligation? Lily, we would never force you to–” Harry is a bit alarmed by the way she says it, but she interrupts him very quickly.

“No! No, Dad! I like being on The Voice, I wanted to be on it! But I have to practice a lot, and before I only sang when I wanted, when I’m feeling happy, and now I think that if I want to be better, I have to sing all the time and it’s not the same, it’s not so fun anymore.”

Harry inhales deeply, making sure he understands where Lily is coming from. It does make sense, though. Lily has never been so dedicated to something as she’s been to practicing singing over the past weeks. Harry didn’t want to comment on how it felt like she was pushing herself a tad too much, but he also didn’t understand why she was doing it, only thinking that she wanted to be the best she could be for when the Finals come, thinking she was very obstinate in winning the competition. Only, it was quite the opposite and Harry never wanted her to feel pressured into doing something she loved just to please him, and in the process, lose her joy in doing it.

“You should never overwork yourself, petal. You are still young and if singing is fun for you, then that’s how it should always be,” Harry says, trying to reassure her. “No one is asking you to be the best singer, the most perfect one. You are talented enough as you are, I know it, I might be biased because I’m your father, but I know it. But you know who else thinks that? Louis. And you believe in him too, don’t you?”

Lily nods and Harry smiles proudly at her. “So, if you really don’t want to win the competition, it’s alright. You’ve come this far though, the only thing you can do from now on is enjoy yourself with it. And if you don’t want to be a singer when you grow up, that’s alright too. You still have lots of time to think about it and many options. What’s left now? Astronaut? Vet? Baker?” He jokes and that earns him a genuine chuckle from Lily. “I’m sure you’ll find something that you’ll have fun doing that won’t be too demanding. That’s how I feel with the bakery. I love being here and it’s always fun, specially when I have you around.” He tickles her belly softly and kisses her cheek.

“I know, Dad. And yeah, there’s lots of things I still want to be… I mean, I could still want to be a singer, I don’t know, because I like singing so much, it’s just that when it becomes a real job, it’s too scary. I’m not scared when I’m at the bakery with you, maybe I really want to be a baker like you,” she opens a bigger smile at Harry and he pulls her into a tight hug.

“Whatever you wanna do, petal. I’m gonna be proud of you, don’t forget that,” he says again, because now he knows it’s never enough not to say it. “Only, just don’t be a tattooed baker like your Dad. You can be the prettiest princess baker,” he kisses the top of her head and she giggles against his neck.

Harry feels better than he was when they started the conversation, but he’s not sure that it was enough to reassure Lily not to worry about what others expect of her. That’s something just too big for an eight year old little girl to feel, because honestly, he only felt that when was faced with finding out he was gonna be a father. Not that he felt pressured to be one, he accepted Lily in his life before he even knew what that would mean for him, but in reality, he was worried about being the best one for her – that Lily thought he’d be the best father in the whole world was the only expectation he never wanted not to achieve.

It’s a weird feeling for a parent to find out that your child looks up to you so much they think you will never be proud of them when all you ever did since the day they were born was love them unconditionally, specially when Harry always tried to make sure Lily knew that over and over again. He’s lost and shaken by the conversation with Lily and he’s not sure about what to do with that, because somehow, Harry knows that this might be the jitters of the competition messing with how his little girl is feeling, and all he wants is for her to understand that even if this seems like something massive, it’s not the most important thing in her life right now.

That night at home, after Lily goes to bed, Harry talks to Anne about it, as he always does whenever some parenting dilemma comes up. It doesn’t matter how much time goes by, he always feels like his 20 year old self talking to his mother about something related to Lily, but he knows there’s no one else better and more experienced than her to help him with it, because for the past eight years, if Harry has become a better parent, it’s only because of all the help his mother has given him. Besides, she is the one who understands and knows Lily as well as Harry does, even if sometimes his daughter still manages to surprise him, like she has just done.

Anne listens to him and when she says that she is not too surprised by Lily’s behavior, Harry is lost once again because how could he not have anticipated how his own daughter would feel but his mother does?

“I say that because, for the millionth time, she is just like you, Harry,” Anne laughs softly. “It didn’t matter how many times I’d tell you that I believed so much in your potential after the whole X-Factor thing, you’d insist that I was only saying that because I’m your mother. Which is true, but that doesn’t mean that what I say matters any less. It should matter the most, and now you know how it is to feel that your child doesn’t believe in you, right?”

Harry nods, sadly, because he remembers that and now he does know what’s that like and it makes him feel disappointed with himself that he ever doubted Anne and didn’t listen to her.

“But, sweetheart, that’s not only you. Everyone is like that. Gemma was also like that, I was just like that with my own parents. And Lily is the same and so will any children she may have. It’s not anyone’s fault, we as people tend to overlook what our closest ones always tell us, and it’s not because we take their words for granted, it’s simply because we are always seeking validation and when it’s your own parents saying something over and over again, we wonder if they only say that because they feel like it’s their job and if there’s ever something that they don’t like about us or about what we do.”

Anne’s look is so tender and non-judgmental it makes it easier for Harry to understand what she is saying.

“Deep down, though, we know that our parents and those who love us will see past our flaws and be sincere with us. Either way, we need to feel like we are worth it, you know? And prove ourselves to them even if it’s not necessary.”

“I know, mum. I just don’t want her to feel like she has to do things for me. I told her that, and it does feel like she understood, but still, she will keep doing it only because she thinks it matters more to me than it should matter to her.” Harry shrugs tiredly. “I want her to know that she is her own person and that she needs to believe she can be and do whatever she wants without fearing disappointing me or anyone else.”

“Your validation is important, Harry, if it wasn’t she would never be participating on the show. She knows that already, my dear. I think that what she needs now, is someone else telling her that. You said that she mentioned she also doesn’t want to disappoint Louis? Maybe she needs to hear him telling her that himself. She looks up to him now too and to know from him that it’s alright to feel however she’s feeling about the competition might matter as much as us telling her that, since he is also part of the show,” Anne points out and Harry considers that.

Thinking about his own experience, Harry reckons his mother’s suggestion might work as it had helped him back in the X-Factor somehow. He had been disappointed by what Louis Walsh had told him, but when Louis showed up and started telling him how much he believed in Harry and found him talented, it was different than to hear his own mother telling him that and he started believing in himself again (even if for a little while, but for the time Harry was still in the competition, it was enough). So, maybe for Lily, that’s what she needs too, funnily enough from the same person Harry found comfort in so many years ago.

Only now, Harry needs to find the courage to talk to Louis about it. Not that it’s difficult to talk to him. It’s not at all, since (not so) surprisingly they’ve kept in touch after the Semi Finals. Louis had said that Harry could reach out to him anytime (mainly about Lily), and that’s what they have been doing, just like with the first messages they’ve exchanged after the night Harry and Lily spent at Louis’. There’s nothing serious about the conversations they’ve had so far, mostly because Louis has been more in the States than in the UK, so it’s not like they’ve been talking nonstop, only a message here and there, a video or photo from Lily and Louis happily replying and things like that (and a few jokes in between, or Harry asking how the recording process is going or Louis asking Harry about the bakery. But nothing major or crossing any lines – not that Harry didn’t think that Louis might’ve sent some messages with a flirty tone, but those (and the fact that he tried to flirt back) he doesn’t need to tell anyone about).

Wanting to talk to Louis about what’s going on with Lily right now is no different from anything else they’ve being doing already. Also, it’s exactly what Louis wanted from Harry if he ever needed to speak with him. He is Lily’s coach and he said he would be available whenever and for whatever Lily and Harry needed. Harry knows how much Louis cares about Lily, he’s shown it time and time again over the messages, even with what he said when he picked her for the Finals, and Louis really seems willing to be there for them. He just doesn’t want to bother the singer more than he has already, but this might be something Louis knows how to deal with since he’s been a coach on the show for a while now, so he might understand what Lily is going through.

_Hi Louis! How is it going? How’s LA treating you?_

He sends Louis a text the next day at night. He knows it’s still afternoon where Louis is, so he hopes the man will be able to talk to him at that time.

**Hello Curly . I’m good and ya ? It’s already hot af in here, not my cup of tea tbh . Talking about tea, how’s England ?**

It indeed doesn’t take Louis much time to reply and it makes Harry laugh softly at how Louis always manages to say something funny. Harry can’t help but joke back.

_Yeah, I’m great, just like Britain_

**Damn I guess you win this round of jokes lol good one, Harold :P Now, seriously how are you doing ? How’s Lily ?**

_Can’t always let you win ;) But yeah, we’re doing fine! Lily’s good too. Actually, I wanted to talk to you about her, is it a bad time? Are you busy now?_

**Not at all, we can talk . Do you want me to call you ?**

Harry hadn’t considered the possibility of calling Louis. He only though he’d get to tell Louis what’s going on through messages as usual. They haven’t talked on the phone before. It makes Harry a little nervous, to be honest, but he doesn’t even have time to dwell if that’s a good thing or not and reply to Louis, because not even 10 seconds later his phone is ringing with Louis’ name on the display. The only thing he can do is answer the call.

“Hey Harry,” Louis says on the other side of the line and it somehow hits Harry how long it’s been since he had listened to Louis’ voice, that soft and raspy voice. “Sorry, I couldn’t help but call you right away. You sounded a bit serious over the message, I thought it would be better to talk over the phone about whatever it is. Is everything alright?”

“It’s fine, no problem at all, I was just gonna reply but you beat me to it,” Harry lets out a small chuckle, “but yeah, I mean, she’s alright. I just wanted to talk to you about a conversation I had with her the other day that left me a bit lost on what to do and I thought you, as her coach, could help me.”

“Is she worried about the Finals?” Louis seems concerned when he asks.

“Not necessarily. It’s… I still don’t quite understand how she’s feeling about it. I thought she was concerned and nervous about it, but what she told me caught me by surprise,” Harry says, not sure how to start explaining it to Louis.

“You’re making me worried now, Harry,” Louis lets out a nervous laughter, “what did she tell you? Is it about me? She hates me as her coach?” Louis jokes.

“No, that’s not it at all,” Harry replies, “she adores you. In fact, it has to do a bit with you, but not that,” he clears his throat before he takes a deep breath to tell Louis what’s really going on. “It’s nothing for you to worry about, I think. I’m only worried because I never expected her to feel that way. Basically, she told me that she doesn’t mind if she doesn’t win the show, but she’s worried that we – that would be me, our family, and you included, would be disappointed if she doesn’t.”

“I can’t say that’s unexpected,” Louis says. “Most of the kids want to make their family proud with the competition, but they also want to prove themselves. What surprises me is the fact that she doesn’t want to win? I mean, whenever I talked to her and from what I’ve seen, she seems so excited about the competition, eager even to practice and improve.”

“That’s, uh, that’s the point, I guess. She is excited about that, but I think that with wanting to give her best, she’s been pushing herself more than she should, and she told me that it almost feels like an obligation to sing, that it’s not as fun as it used to be before. It feels like she realized that she doesn’t want singing to be so serious. She loves doing it, but it’s not something she wants to do as a career,” Harry tells, remembering what Lily explained to him.

“She’s not happy with being in the competition? That’s just so odd, I really never had any kid say that.” Louis’ voice seems surprised.

“I don’t think that’s it, because she said that she loves it, she wanted to be in it. This is really confusing, you see. But I guess what concerned me the most was the fact that she’s more worried about how we will feel if she doesn’t win. For me, now, it seems she’s doing all of this because of me, because she doesn’t want to let me down and that’s not what I want for her. I want her to enjoy it for herself and not for anyone else. I’ve told her time and time again that she’d never disappoint me and I want her to believe that, believe in her talent and that she has potential for so much, but, I don’t know,” Harry inhales deeply, sad to think about Lily not believing in him completely, “it feels like the more I say it, the more it makes her only think about how much I want her to win, and that’s not it, at all. Of course if she won, I’d be over the moon, but I also understand that she might not want it, and that’s alright. But I don’t think me telling her that is enough, you know?”

Louis is the one taking a deep breath now, maybe considering everything Harry has said and thinking about what to tell him.

“As much as it sounds confusing to you, I can assure you that what she’s going through is normal, Harry,” Louis says calmly. “The competition is something completely new and challenging for the kids and it can mess with their feelings. They get more sensitive about it, they feel pressured about it even if we try as much as we can to tell them that there’s no real pressure. Lily is a smart girl and there seems to be a lot going on for her to understand what she really wants, although she’s mature enough to tell you that she doesn’t want to win, which is alright. If she’s made up her mind about that, all you have to do is tell her that you are proud of her for how far she’s come.”

“I have already, Louis, and that’s what is getting to me the most, because even though I’ve let her know all that, still she feels like she will disappoint me somehow,” Harry confesses, feeling a little hopeless.

“I don’t doubt for a second how proud of her you are, Harry and I’m sure you show her that, I can see how much you love her,” Louis’ tone is soft and comforting, “and I think she only wants to prove it to you that you have every reason to be. Maybe, for her to understand that there’s nothing wrong in not winning, that she won’t let you down because of that, I think she needs to believe in herself and that she is capable of anything. She needs to understand that being this far in the competition is already a massive achievement, that her talent has brought her so far and that everyone is so proud of her already. I am the proudest, after you of course, otherwise I wouldn’t have put her through. Maybe that’s what she needs to hear, not from you, because you’ve done enough. But maybe from me?”

Harry is relieved that Louis understands the situation and also thinks that taking to Lily will help her somehow.

“Yeah, I think so. My mum said the same, that’s why I thought of talking to you about it, because I don’t want Lily to think I’m saying something just because. I want her to understand that how I feel is the same everyone who believes in her feels, so maybe having someone else showing her that will help. I mostly just want her to enjoy this last phase of the show without feeling like she has to do anything because I want her to. If you help her feel more comfortable about that and not give up the competition without even trying, you know, because she does have what it takes to impress everyone, I’ll be more at ease with myself,” Harry admits, already feeling more relaxed knowing that Louis is on the same page as him.

“I get it, Harry. Trust me, you’re not the first parent to be unsure of how to deal with a kid on the competition. And don’t worry, we can do that. By what you’ve told me, I truly think what Lily is in need of is someone else’s approval so she doesn’t feel pressured in thinking she has to do everything to please only you,” Louis seems confident and his voice sounds cheerful to be helping. “I don’t want to scare her or anything, so I won’t ask you to let me talk to her over the phone about it. Maybe we can wait until next time we meet for me to have a chat with her and in the meantime, let’s hope she will feel different about this whole thing, but nevertheless, I’ll make sure to let her know that.”

Harry smiles to himself, hoping Louis could see how glad he is by his help.

“Yeah, of course. I’ll let her be on her own pace about how she deals with the competition. I’m sure she will be a little more excited about it again when it’s time to see you again, so that might work and it won’t feel like you know anything about what we’ve talked about.”

“That’s good,” Louis agrees, “we’ll see each other again in about a month, I think. I have to talk to the producers to let them know when I can bring the kids to the studio.”

Harry is taken by surprise by that information. “You’re bringing them to the studio?”

“Oh, shit. I shouldn’t have said that. Don’t tell her just yet, it’s supposed to be a surprise, oops.” Louis apologises, but Harry can tell he’s not so sorry for letting that slip out as he laughs. “But yeah, I thought as we’re recording the new album, it would be nice to let them see how things work for real. That time at my house we were just playing around, so now they can have a taste of how it is to be in a professional recording environment. Maybe that will inspire Lily again, who knows.”

“That’s so cool, Louis. And of course, I’ll keep that a secret until then. I’m sure it will be exciting for the girls,” Harry replies, “and yeah, maybe, although I really think the singing career for Lily is not on the table anymore. For the past two days all she wants to know is how to make cookies, so, I guess I’ll have another baker in the family in a few years,” he quips.

Louis laughs openly on the other side of the line too and somehow it warms Harry up, picturing the man’s face with his blue eyes full of glee, those crinkles by his eyes even more charming.

“The Styles legacy will never die, be it by singing or cooking,” Louis jokes. “But don’t worry, whatever Lily wants to do, I’m sure she’ll be great at. Just like her dad,” he says and Harry doesn’t want to think of the compliment as one of Louis’ disguised flirty comments. “And I’ll let her know, just like I did with you, how much I believe in her, how much I’ve believed in her talent since the beginning. It might not have completely worked with you, but I guess it will with her.”

Harry’s touched by Louis’ words and he feels a bit sad that Louis thinks he didn’t help him back then. He can’t let the man think that.

“That’s not true, Louis. It’s not because I gave up that your words didn’t make a difference for me when I was at bootcamp. They mattered, a lot,” Harry says, earnestly, “and if Lily is anything like me, she will believe in you, I’m sure.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Harry.” Even if Harry can’t see Louis, he knows the man has a smile on his face. “And yes, she is just like her dad, such captivating, sweet and talented little girl.”

If Louis could see Harry now, he’d see him blushing and Harry is not ashamed for letting Louis’ words affect him that way. At least, in his barely lit living room where he’s been sat while Lily’s sleeping peacefully in her room, where no one can see him, he can’t feel embarrassed about it.

“Thanks, Louis,” he manages to say, recomposing himself, “thank you so much for your help, as always. It means so much to me and to Lily.”

“That’s what I’m here for, I’ve told you before. However I can, I’m more than pleased to help.” Louis’ voice is so soft and caring it makes Harry wish he was right beside the other man to give him a hug and thank him personally for everything he has done so far, for actually being in Harry’s life again and helping him and Lily through this.

They end the call shortly after that, with Louis promising once again to talk to Lily next time they meet, hoping that she will be much more confident about herself by then and excited about what’s to come on the show.  

Harry thinks he couldn’t be more grateful for being able to talk to Louis about it and for actually having his help. He is taken aback by Louis’ thoughtfulness and understanding of the situation. It’s a side of him that Harry already admired, but at that moment, it only intensifies the feeling. Whatever it is that he actually feels for Louis, it keeps growing and he can’t quite understand it and, truthfully, he doesn’t want to make it stop.

 

*

 

One of the parts that Louis enjoys the most about The Voice, aside the fact that he’s got to mentor and know so many talented kids, is the day where he gets to do something special for his finalists, taking them to a surprise location or event.

It’s true he already likes to invite his semifinalists to his house after the Battles, but that’s something more intimate for him to get to know them a little bit more. The outing with the finalists is something that’s actually part of the show and it’s great for everyone to see how excited the two singers are to go to the finals and how much the coaches care that the kids get a taste of what it’s like to be a musician. Over the five previous series of the show, Louis has already taken them to one of his solo pocket concerts, a music festival he had been at with Steve Aoki, a jam session with Niall and Liam, a One Direction secret event when they had been just about to come back from the hiatus, and last year it had been the last One Direction concert of their comeback tour at the O2.

This year, as he’s been mostly working on the new One Direction album while on the show, Louis thinks that’s the perfect opportunity to show Serenna and Lily how the actual process of recording an album in a studio is.

He has spent the majority of his time the past two months in LA working on lyrics and song arrangements with music producers and after that, they are ready to go back to the UK for the next phase of the process, getting in the studio to record the vocals along with the instruments. So he, Niall and Liam fly back to London to start on that and it’s just in time for the time slot the show producers have delimited for when the outings with the finalists should happen. Thinking about that, Louis considers also giving the girls another treat by actually having Niall and Liam in the studio with him (and maybe he’s also thinking about Harry meeting the boys again, after so many years and obviously, because of the whole fanboying over One Direction thing he has going on).

Louis is looking forward to meeting with them again, because the time between the Semi Finals and the Live Finals is a really long gap where they don’t have the opportunity to get much in touch. Of course, this year things haven’t gone as they usually do. Louis had never been so close to a contestant before the way he has been with Lily, and by consequence, with her father. And if Louis is also excited to see Harry again after almost two months of constantly talking to him through messages, no one can blame him. Also, he hasn’t forgotten what he and Harry talked over the phone about how Lily had been feeling regarding the competition and Louis wants to talk to her about that and help with Harry’s worries somehow.

It’s a Saturday in mid May when the girls come over to the studio and all the filming crew from The Voice is already there when they arrive. Serenna’s mother is the one to drop her off and Louis talks to her briefly and she tells him how happy Serenna has been to be in the Finals and how much more confident the girl already seems whenever she sings for other people and Louis is glad to hear it, glad that he has been able to help the girl with that.

Louis is inside with Serena and the crew when Lily arrives with Abbie, the producer who is in charge of their filming, alongside her. He’s happy to see her but a bit sad that he didn’t get to talk to Harry right away. There will be time though, when he comes pick up Lily later, so he doesn’t mull over that and tries to focus on having fun with the girls that afternoon.

“So nice to see you both again,” he greets them with a hug and the girls giggles, hugging him back. “I have some fun things to show you around today, are you excited?”

“Yeah!” Serenna answers, with a wide smile when she lets go of him. “I’ve never been to a proper studio. I mean, there was the time at yours, but this is so much different.”

“Mine was just a home studio where sometimes I play around or record something that suddenly came to my mind so I won’t forget about it. Here is where the real magic happens,” he winks at her and then looks at Lily, to see the little girl looking around the studio with much curiosity. “What do you think about it, Lily?”

“This is awesome, so many buttons,” she points at the panel table excitedly.

“Yeah, I don’t even know what most of them do,” Louis laughs, “but I can show you what happens after my friends here push them. They do wonders to your voice, that I can tell. So are you ready to start the day?” He claps his hands, taking a look at the show crew. The cameraman gives him a thumbs up saying that they are ready to start.

The girls nod eagerly and Abbie tells them they will begin filming as if the girls have just arrived at the studio, then they will show Louis talking to them for a bit. They do just that, with Louis welcoming them and showing the gadgets they use to record the songs, explaining what most of the things are for, as well as the instruments they’ve been using. He calls the band and invite the girls to sing inside the booth with them playing and the girls can’t quite believe that they are having that opportunity.

Serenna is the first to give it a go, singing _Bleeding Love_ from Leona Lewis and Louis is taken aback by how she owns the song even just singing it for fun. He sees Lily watching the older girl with so much admiration, just like she has been looking at Louis for the past hour. Lily seems to be over the moon, paying a lot of attention to Louis’ every bit of information about the studio and was very thrilled to know she’d get to sing just like the big and real artists do. Louis is very happy to see her enjoying herself and he doesn’t see any trace of worry in her, remembering once again what Harry had told him a few weeks before. He knows, though, that maybe she’s keeping that to herself, opting to be excited about being in that environment or really just forgetting about whatever is worrying her at that moment. Even so, Louis thinks it’s best to have a small chat with her about how she’s feeling and he takes the opportunity that Serenna’s in the booth to have a few minutes alone with Lily.

“Are you already thinking about what you’re gonna sing in there, Lily?” He asks her nonchalantly.

“I guess so,” she nods, “I’ve been listening to lots of songs with Dad lately and when we were in the car coming here, Coldplay was playing. I really like them and I’ve had Magic stuck in my head now, so I guess I’ll go with it.”

“That’s a great choice, I like that a lot too,” Louis says, a bit in awe for how vast Lily’s music taste is, and also how similar it is to Harry’s. “So, has your Dad been helping you practice for the finals? How’s that been going?” He asks, trying not to sound too inquisitive, starting on the topic slowly.

“Yeah, we haven’t stopped practicing since the Semi Finals. I love it, it’s been great.” She smiles at him and Louis can see that there’s something behind it and his suspicion that she might’ve kept her feelings in the back of her mind is confirmed, so he tries approaching her about it the best way he can.

“You really are passionate about singing, aren’t you?”

She nods again. “It’s one of the things I love the most, yeah.”

It makes Louis sad to remember that Harry had said that the pressure of the competition might’ve made Lily lose a bit of the enthusiasm she’s always had for singing.

“When we love doing something it’s easier to give it our best, and I’m sure when the finals come, you’ll be just great. That’s a big deal, right? And if I’m honest, I really think you have a shot at winning if the votes depended only on me,” he laughs, trying to lighten the weight of the conversation, “have you thought about it? What you’ll do if you win?”

Lily looks up at him, taking a deep breath but still smiling. “It would be great to win, yeah, but I actually don’t mind much. I’m happy to be singing and performing, the competition’s been nice because of that. I’m trying my best because I know it means a lot to my Dad, and I want him to be happy about me, and if I win I know it will make him very proud, so I’m doing it for him,” she admits, shrugging a bit, and Louis wasn’t expecting her to be so frank about that.  That’s when he realizes how much that has been weighing on her and that maybe she needed to let it out. Louis is happy though that she trusts him enough to let him know about that, making it easier for her to believe what he has to say to her.

“Lily, I admire you so much and how much you care about your father and about making him proud, it’s really beautiful,” he starts,” but can I tell you something? You don’t have to do everything you do thinking about others, love, or only because you think that’s what will make them proud. You have to do things because it will make you proud and I can assure you that whatever you do, it won’t change how your father feels about you. Specially if you don’t win. I said that’s a big deal, but honestly, being in the competition is already something to be so proud of. You are in the show because of your own talent, Lily, you are the only one responsible for all you’ve achieved so far, you’ve proved yourself time and time again in the competition, otherwise I wouldn’t have chosen you to go through.” He smiles softly at her as she keeps looking at him very attentively. “I fell in love with your voice the moment I heard you singing during the Blinds and from then on, you’ve amazed and surprised me with how far you’ve come and that has made me very proud, and I’m sure it has made your father impossibly prouder.”

Lily gives him a very shy smile and Louis can see she’s touched by his words and he hopes she takes them heartfully.

“Now, though, I’ve already done my job and you don’t need to impress me or your father, we are more than content with everything you’ve done so far. Fortunately or unfortunately, it depends on how you look at it, this is a competition that’s up to the public’s decision, and if you’ve given your best and the audience decides you deserve it, then everything was worth it. And even if they decide it’s not your time to be the winner, that’s alright too, because you are already a super winner, along with everybody else who’s had the courage and the talent to be on the show and that’s what you and all the other contestants should focus on and be proud of yourselves, because everyone else who loves you and believes in you are beyond proud already. I am so proud of you, don’t ever doubt that.” Louis tells her lastly, making sure to emphasise how important it is that she believes in herself and that she does something that she is proud of. That’s what matters the most for the competition, he reckons.

Lily seems to be captivated by every word Louis says and her big green eyes, just like her dad’s, are showing so much admiration for Louis he believes she is taking in everything he says and understanding his message.

“Thank you Louis,” she finally speaks, letting out a long sigh, one that feels full of relief. “I’m so happy for being on your team, I don’t think it would be so cool being on the other teams, don’t tell Pixie or Danny,” she chuckles softly. “I promise I’ll give my best and enjoy the Finals for myself. My Dad has already told me how happy he is for everything I’ve done on the show and that he won’t be disappointed if I don’t win. I don’t want him to be sad, that’s all.”

Her eyes are bit sad when she says that, but Louis quickly tries to cheer her up a bit.

“Lily, you’ll never make him sad. Whatever you do, he and everyone else will always be impressed, I’m sure. You don’t have to worry about that. You don’t have to worry about anything, really. In the end, what matters is the opportunity you had to be part of this and improve something you’re already good at. If you want to continue singing as a career or if you just decide that it really is just a hobby, all you can take from this experience is how much the show has taught you. My only hope is that all I’ve told you before has helped you somehow.”

“Yes, it did, Louis, very much. Thank you for everything, I’ll never forget this.” She smiles sincerely, her eyes shining again.

“So all you have to keep in mind is to have fun and to be content and proud of how much you’ve achieved, alright? Being in the Finals is already the biggest achievement, nobody will ever be any less proud, regardless of the outcome of the competition. We’ll only love you more for coming so far.” He tells her one more time, giving her the reassurance she needs.

“I will, I already enjoy this so much. I won’t take it for granted,” she nods and Louis can see that she’s telling the truth, no more hidden feelings in her smile. At that, he thinks he’s fulfilled his promise to Harry as best as he could.

He gives her a quick but tight hug just as Serenna has finished the song after singing it twice with the band. While talking to Lily, he hasn’t stopped paying attention to her and he’s very impressed by how she sounded and when Jeff, one of the music producers they’ve been working with and that Louis had asked to be in the studio for the girls that day, shows them how the song turned out with a few editing touches, Serenna is amazed by that, as well as Louis and Lily.

When Lily goes to the booth, Louis can see how happy she is to be singing in there, all previous worries washed away from her. She is truly singing with her heart and to watch her enjoying it, it makes Louis so proud for helping Lily find her joy in singing once again.

She also sounds incredible when the recording is over and Louis promises that he will send them the final edited song so they can show everyone and the girls get way too excited about that.

“Now,” he announces, “I have one last thing to show you that I’m sure will make you even more thrilled. Are you ready for a little surprise?”

Both girls widen their eyes in curiosity and Louis smiles mischievously at them as he walks to the studio door, opening it. “Boys, you can come in.”

When he steps aside, Liam and Niall come from outside and Louis doesn’t even need to look at the girls to know how shocked they are by that, if the small squealing sounds they let out is anything to go by.

He laughs as Niall and Liam make their way over to the girls to greet them. Lily is not able to close her mouth as she hugs both of them and Louis is too endeared by that, knowing how much she loves One Direction and what that must mean to her.

“I’ve heard we have two upcoming stars in the studio that have already recorded two awesome songs, is that right?” Liam asks and the girls are too baffled and in awe to properly answer with anything but nods.

“How about we show you how we record one of our songs? We can even let you hear a preview of one of our new tunes, but only if you can promise to keep it a secret,” Niall says, placing a finger in front of his mouth, and the girls nod again in agreement, excitedly. “That’s a deal then! Louis, are you ready?”

“Only if they are,” Louis winks at Lily and Serenna and the girls answer with a enthusiastic “yeah” and he tells them to sit down then and watch them go to the booth.

They had previously talked about it and had arranged with the band to play a small sample of one of their new songs that it’s almost finished already. They don’t really record it, only sing what they already have from it with Jeff pretending to give them instructions of how to make it better, but the girls look stoic nonetheless to be the first ones to hear something new from them.

After that, they invite them again to the booth, this time choosing a One Direction song so they all can sing together. It actually becomes a mess because the girls decide on _One Thing_ and that’s a song they haven’t sang in a while, but in the end, it all works out and what’s important is that the girls, as well as the three of them, had fun doing it.

Abbie then tells Louis that they already have enough footage for the show and that the parents should be picking up the girls soon, since the two hours they’ve had together that afternoon has already gone by. If Louis is honest, he didn’t even see the time passing and he wishes he could spend more time with the girls.

They only have to film the girls talking about the experience as well as Louis speaking about his expectations for them on the finals and then they are all done. Serenna’s mother picks her up first and Louis tells them how he can’t wait to meet with her again for the piano rehearsals next month.

While he’s hugging them goodbye outside the studio, he sees another car pulling up on the street and Lily walking towards it and he can only imagine it’s Harry that has arrived.

Serenna and her mother leave and Louis heads to the other car, following Lily, when Harry opens the car and pulls his daughter into a hug.

“How has your afternoon been, petal?” Louis hears him asking.

“Dad, you won’t believe it! I sang with One Direction!” Lily tells him, almost hysterically.

Harry lets go of her to send her a very intrigued look. “You sang with Louis?”

“I’m very honoured you think One Direction consists of only me, Styles. But I believe if I let the other two boys hear you say that, I might have to revoke your ‘Biggest One Direction Fan’ card,” Louis jumps in the conversation as he approaches them, making Harry startle a little, already blushing.

“I met Niall and Liam too!” Lily adds, jumping excitedly.

“No way!” Harry laughs, “I thought she was just saying she sang One Direction with you, I didn’t think she meant actual One Direction members,” he explains himself looking properly at Louis.

“You are jealous of your daughter, is that it, Harry?” Louis teases and Harry rolls his eyes as Lily chuckles by their side.

“That’s not what I said,” Harry retorts, but not rudely. “I’m thrilled for you, petal! And how was it?”

“They are all so nice, Dad.” She nods eagerly.

“You behaved well around them, right?” Harry asks suspiciously and Louis only wonders if Harry is thinking about his daughter embarrassing him once again.

“Of course, I’m not like you!” She replies and Louis can see that she is teasing him too.

“Lily!” Harry tries to reprehend her but he’s laughing again and it obviously doesn’t work.

“You still have a chance to embarrass yourself in front of them, Harry, if you want,” Louis interjects, thinking about the opportunity to also bring Harry to the studio and let him talk to the boys, only because maybe he might appreciate Louis introducing him to One Direction (or he might die from a heart attacked, Louis reckons, but that should totally be fun to watch nonetheless).

Harry seems puzzled by Louis’ suggestion. “You... you’re saying you want me to meet them?” He asks and Louis can see he’s getting nervous.

“Yes, you have to meet them too! Please, Louis, can we go back inside so Dad can meet them?” Lily instigates, overjoyed with the possibility.

“As I said, if he wants to, I’m sure the lads will enjoy seeing him again, if they remember him, that’s it.” He jokes, because he knows damn well that Liam and Niall remember and know who Harry is by now. For a moment he’s terrified that Harry meeting them will be embarrassing for him and not for the other man, with chances that his two best friends will take the piss out of him for how he feels about Harry, but then he remembers that there’s still the show crew around, along with Jeff and the band, and obviously Lily, so none of them would be blunt enough to say anything about it, so he thinks he’s safe.

“I… I don’t…” Harry mumbles and Lily rolls her eyes playfully at him.

“C’mon Dad!” She pulls him and Harry only has time to close the car door and lock it before he’s walking towards the studio with Lily.

Louis shakes his head as he laughs, following them.

“Now, you have to be the one to behave yourself, Curly. Keep the fanboy under control, please,” Louis jokes as he pats Harry on his shoulder as they step inside.

When they are back inside, Liam and Niall are talking to Jeff and when they notice who’s walking towards them, Niall gives Louis a smug smile.

“Lads, I’ve brought someone who’s been dying to meet you,” Louis announces them, obviously making fun of the situation. Harry squints his eyes at him and elbows him slightly before turning his attention to the two other men in front of him.

“Wait, I know you,” Liam says and Louis already knows he has joined him in the banter by his tone. “You are the famous Lily’s father, otherwise known as the Number One One Direction fan. Mate, what an honour to meet you.” Liam almost can’t keep a straight face and Lily is already laughing as she still holds Harry’s hand when all Harry does is close his eyes and shake his head in embarrassment.

“Oh God, I can’t believe you’ve told them,” Harry says, directed to Louis. Louis only shrugs unapologetically.

“We’d find out soon enough, mate, it’s not Louis’ fault. You daughter also told us that you’re a massive fan,” Niall joins the conversation, stepping closer to Harry and extending his hand to him. “But also, if Louis hadn’t told us, how else would we know we actually met before? I would never recognise you after twelve years.”

Harry takes Niall’s hand, shaking it nervously, but giving him an earnest smile. “Louis remembered,” he says, glancing briefly at the other man. “But, yeah, we did. It’s been so long and you guys are incredible. I mean, you’ve done amazing with One Direction, well done. Huge fan, as you already know.”

“Louis has his reasons to remember you, I guess,” Niall replies, winking at Louis and Louis almost wants to jump between him and Harry to prevent him from saying anything else, but Liam quickly interjects.

“We appreciate it, man, seriously. And as for me, I’d remember you, yeah. The day we were singing _Man In The Mirror_ , I was impressed by how you were so engaged in it, I’ve never forgotten that. Too bad things didn’t work out for you.”

“Thank you, it means a lot to hear this from you, Liam,” Harry says and Louis can see how Liam’s compliment makes Harry blush a bit. “Yeah, but fortunately other things happened and today I’m here with Lily meeting you again.”

“Nice to see you again, really, Harry. And let me tell you, you have an amazing daughter. Lily here is a real treasure. I can see she takes after you,” Niall says, smiling down at Lily and ruffling her hair a bit, making the girl giggle.

Harry’s smile grows proudly as he thanks Niall and Louis’ heart warms up to see all of them interacting so well with each other.

They keep talking for a couple of minutes more, with Harry telling how many times he’s seen the boys in concert and Lily telling them of all the One Direction albums and songs she loves the most. Before Harry says that unfortunately Lily and him need to get going back to Manchester, Louis suggests that they should all take a picture together because it would be a lost opportunity for Harry and Lily not to do it (even though Lily had already taken some pictures with them before Harry arrived, but obviously Louis was thinking about how Harry would be ecstatic about it after being their fan for so many years – and if that had also been an opportunity for Louis to have a picture of him and Harry on his phone, nobody needed to know).

Louis then walks back outside with Lily and Harry to their car again and before Harry gets inside the driver’s seat after safely bucking Lily up in the backseat, Louis feels a tad sad that he didn’t get to spend more time with Harry when he says goodbye.

“Louis, thank you so much again, for everything. I’m sure Lily had a great day with you, and I can also say, even though I was shitting my pants to talk to the other guys, I’ve had fun meeting them again, so thank you for that too,” Harry says, closing Lily’s door, stepping away from the car a little.

“That’s my pleasure, Harry. I’m here for that, always, I’ve told you that,” Louis lets him know, also remembering what he’d talked to Lily before, sure that Harry will appreciate it even more to know how that went. “And as I’m one to keep my promises, I’ve had that little chat with her,” Louis says, in a lower tone as so not to let Lily listen to him.

“Oh, really? How did it go? What did she say?” Harry seems eager as he replies in the same tone as Louis. “She didn’t mention anything else to me after that day, even though I tried to ask how she was feeling, but she seemed to keep singing and practicing the same way as she did before.”

“As you’ve told me, she said she was doing it mostly for you, so I made sure to let her know that she didn’t need to, that she had to keep doing it for herself, to enjoy it and to be proud of herself, basically, because you, me and everyone else already feels so proud of her. I told her many things, can’t quite remember everything now, but she seemed to understand it. At first, I noticed she was feeling worried about it, but by the end of the conversation, I think it has worked, because she was way more confident and cheerful. I think she’ll be fine, so you don’t have to worry much anymore.”

“Oh, Louis, that’s good to hear. I hope you’re right about it. And if you managed to help her with that, I can’t thank you enough.” Louis can see how grateful Harry is, can see how shiny his eyes are and how sincere his smile is as he takes a step closer to Louis and takes Louis by surprise by hugging him.

It’s true they have already hugged before, but this time, it’s quite different, Louis reckons. There’s a mutual gratitude in the gesture, from Harry’s side for everything Louis has done for Lily, but also from Louis for being grateful to have Harry and Lily in his life and being able to do things to make both of them happy.

Also, there’s a lingering feeling as Harry’s arms envelope Louis tightly, as Louis feels Harry inhaling deeply, as their cheeks touch, as Louis rubs Harry’s back and feels both their hearts beat faster than normally.

“There’s nothing to thank me for, Harry. I’m more than glad to help,” Louis says, trying to sound composed.

Harry pulls away from him, but still holds him by the shoulder, looking at Louis so tenderly it almost makes Louis’ heart melt.

“Then I’m happy that we have you.”

It shouldn’t mean more than Harry implied, but still, those words weight on Louis when Harry finally says goodbye and gets inside the car.

Louis watches as Harry drives away and wonders, not for the first time, if whatever he’s feeling for Harry is mutual too.

 

*

 

Working at the bakery has never been monotonous to Harry. Ever since he opened the establishment with Gemma with the help of their father and some of the money Robin left for their mother and them, even with all the paperwork and business aspects of it, his job has never been something tiring. He enjoys every minute of it, from preparing the recipes of their sweets and pastries, or being on the till to even being in the back office with Gemma dealing with their catering service orders.

In the five years they’ve had the establishment, it hasn’t always been easy, obviously. In the beginning, _Sweet Style_ was a very small bakery they had to work hard to attract their first loyal customers besides their mother and their neighbours, but after all those years, Harry can say that they’ve finally built a name for themselves, thanks to his well-appreciated and tasty recipes and also Gemma’s prowess to advertisement and management.

They’ve grown, have a small but consistent staff, people stop by the bakery all day long, they receive orders from all over Greater Manchester and surrounding areas and sometimes even from London, so Harry can’t even complain about anything. The business has been as successful as ever, which only helps Harry enjoy his job without having much to worry about.

Of course, whenever Lily is around, it’s even more pleasant to be in the bakery. It’s always so entertaining to watch his little girl interact with everyone, captivating their customers with her cuteness. He wishes she could stay there with him all day long like she did in the beginning before she started primary school, but he’s glad to have her everyday after school, which lightens up his days every time she swings the door open with Anne in tow after picking her up.

Harry can’t say his days are boring without Lily there, he has many things to entertain himself with, from his chats to his elderly customers to talking to his staff and Gemma, but lately there has been another factor added to his days that not only has kept him entertained but sometimes distracted as well.

It started with Harry’s ability to always feel embarrassed for things he did related to Louis, of course. He knew there wasn’t a reason for him to thank Louis again for talking to Lily on the day he took her to the studio a month ago, he had already told Louis in person how grateful he was for everything he’s done for her. He even thought he had taken a step further, with a hug that had too much sentiment in it, more than Harry could’ve put into words, hoping that Louis would feel a little bit of what he’s been feeling for him.

But then, if Harry really thinks about it, he doesn’t regret neither the hug nor the text he sent Louis the next day, because that message led them to start talking even more than they had before. What had started off with a few timid messages a couple of months ago, mostly about Lily and what she had been doing but then also about some other random stuff as a joke here and there, or Harry asking about the recording process of the One Direction album and Louis asking about Harry’s work at the bakery (but only casually as Harry didn’t want to seem like he was abusing the privilege to be talking to Louis), had developed into full on conversations that didn’t stop. They’ve been talking to each other everyday, still the same content – pictures and videos from Lily, with Lily actually sending Louis a few messages (and once Harry sending a video of Lily from when she was about four, watching Harry’s old One Direction DVD while holding one of Louis’ dolls Harry had bought for her and crying because she wanted to see Louis – and Louis replying joking that she was a chip off the old block, just like Harry then), but also about deeper things, like sharing personal experiences sometimes, talking about the years after the X-Factor, Harry a bit curious to know what had really gone on between Louis and Zayn after the latter left the band, talking about the One Direction hiatus, or Louis wanting to know how Harry had dealt with fatherhood, how difficult had it been to deal with studying, working and taking care of a baby at the same time, if he had ever dated anyone after that, and so on.

It feels normal, though, to be engaging with Louis as if they are just two normal people, two friends who get along well, sometimes way too well Harry actually thinks they are crossing an invisible line that no one has really set between them, but that Harry knows exists. Amid Harry sending Louis his (underappreciated and very funny indeed, thank you very much) jokes and Louis replying with memes that are too old they make Harry crack up in the middle of the day at the bakery (all the “Bake ALL THE CAKES” when Harry would tell him he’d have to go back to paying attention to his work, or the “Is this fantasy or is this real life?” one when Harry would send him pictures of the cupcakes, muffins and scones he’d prepared on a day, accompanied with several “Much Talented, Very Delicious” compliments, or simply ridiculous nonsense things like Harry falling every time for the Rickrolling video link when Louis would tell him to watch this very cool video he found), there’s always a flirty tone in their messages and even though Harry knows he shouldn’t let himself fall for that, he can’t help but reciprocate it.

Harry likes Louis, that’s the thing. Between Louis helping his daughter, being so attentive to her and actually giving her a chance to get to the Finals of the competition, and Harry actually knowing Louis, not Coach/Member of One Direction Louis, but the real him, the one who is thoughtful and funny and sarcastic and way too flirty (not to mention so much more gorgeous in person), he can’t deny Louis has found a soft spot in his life that Harry doesn’t know how to actually deal with that.

It’s been so long since he felt like that and allowed someone to take a space that important in his life. Louis had asked him about his love life in the past and Harry had been honest with him about that. There had never been anyone in Harry’s life that had made him seem it was right for him to be with, because Lily would always come first, and if he didn’t feel that the person he was seeing was willing to give Lily as much love as he gives her, he shouldn’t be with that person. Of course, he’d been on dates, but as he didn’t like to be one to have casual things, those would never happen frequently. Thus, giving himself the opportunity to fall in love and let someone in his life and also in Lily’s isn’t something he’s thought about much, but thinking about Louis, somehow he feels like Louis could be an exception. He likes everything about Louis and he knows that Louis adores and cared for Lily so much, he has told Harry that many times, so it’s not hard to picture himself letting Louis in, more than he already has. What’s hard, though, is thinking about everything that is in between them – Louis’ life, Harry’s life, and obviously, there’s still the whole situation involving Lily and The Voice.

The worst (and it should also be the best) part is that whenever he thinks about how he’s feeling about Louis, the rational thing should be to convince himself that he’s getting ahead of himself, that he’s seeing more in Louis’ actions than there is, because it can’t be real that Louis is interested in him… when in reality, all he feels is that it is mutual from Louis’ side and he doesn’t want to think where Louis stands with that, with the need to act professional and to keep a professional distance. He’s pretty sure Louis has already ignored that a long time ago, but with the end of the competition near, Harry can’t help but think what that would entitle.

While he keeps these thoughts in his mind, he can’t actually ask for an answer and ask Louis what’s really going on between them. He doesn’t want to ruin anything they’ve built so far and he doesn’t want to jeopardize anything while Lily’s in the competition, so for the meantime, if they keep talking and joking and flirting around, all Harry can do is enjoy it and still make a fool of himself in front of Gemma when Louis sends him another funny text while he’s in bakery that Monday morning.

Harry doesn’t even know when and how it had started, but suddenly they are talking about if someone had ever hit on Harry while on duty at the bakery. He has no clue where Louis is going with that conversation, but he answers him with the truth.

_I can’t say that I haven’t. It’s embarrassing, to say the least_

**Oh cmon, but hadn’t any of them been interesting enough ? Or maybe used a cheesy chat up line on you that was worth talking to them ? :P**

_No, they were all lame. Although I remember there was one that was rather cute_

**So someone did manage to flatter you ;) What did they do ?**

_This guy once, I had never seen him around. I guess he was just passing by, he bought a croissant and a latte and sat by one of the tables. I might have given him a few glances and I saw him glancing back, yeah, but nothing much. I was at the till when he came to pay his tab and he slipped me a napkin note that was written ‘_ I hope our paths will croissant again _’  on it lol_

**OMFG NO WAY ! That was clever and smooth af . And what did you do ? Did he give his number ? 8)**

_I did nothing, he left before I could say anything :( But he did, I just didn’t think it would be worth reaching out ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯_

**Styles, I have to say you missed the best opportunity to reply to him and flirt back !**

_What?! What do you think I should’ve done?_

**You should’ve texted him saying ‘** ** _they butter xx_ ** **’ LOL**

Before Harry can stop himself, he lets out a loud cackle of laughter, slamming his hand on his table, not really believing Louis had thought about that comeback for him, which was actually funny.

“Jesus, Haz, are you alright?” He hears Gemma asking from her desk in front of him, tapping away on her laptop.

He lifts his head to take a look at her, only to see her with a brow raised at him curiously.

“Yeah, I’m– I’m fine,” he replies, trying to compose himself.

“Hm,” his sister hums as she lowers the lid of her laptop to look better at Harry. “I’m not even gonna ask who you’re talking to, because the answer to that will be Louis and I don’t even want to know what you guys have been talking about… for about an hour,” she glances at the watch on her wrist, “that has you smiling down at your phone and laughing instead of answering your emails.” She points out, trying to sound annoyed by Harry’s distracted-self, but really, Harry can sense the teasing in her voice.

“The emails are right here, I’m checking them, don’t you start it,” Harry rolls his eyes at her. “We were just talking, there’s no harm in it.”

“Yeah, right.” She goes back to looking at her computer. “But when are you gonna do something about it?” She asks, so nonchalantly it takes Harry by surprise.

“What? What am I going to do about what?”

Gemma snorts and leaves her desk, scooting over to Harry’s on her swivel chair. “About Louis. When are you two gonna stop acting like two teenage boys flirting back and forth and ask each other out?”

Harry widens his eyes at her, surprised by her straightforwardness, but not really surprised that she had caught on what was going on, even if he had been cautious to tell her what he and Louis had been talking about, because he knew that she would only pick on him for it. It looks like it didn’t work very well, he can never really hide things from his sister.

“Gemma, we’re not!” He shakes his head. “That’s not what’s going on,” he tries to reason.

“Harry, my sweet baby brother, you think you can fool me?” She grins at him, knowingly. “There hasn’t been a day since Lily has been on the show that you haven’t talked about Louis with the softest expression on your face and don’t tell me Louis hasn’t looked at you with hearty eyes every time we meet him. And you, exchanging texts all the time? Yeah, that surely is normal, he must be pretty close to the other contestant’s parents as well? Does he send them inappropriate jokes too?” She puts her elbows on Harry’s desk, resting her chin on her palms, looking at her brother smugly.

It should be easier to avoid Gemma’s prying, but Harry knows he can’t lie or ignore her. He inhales deeply, closing his eyes for a second before speaking.

“Right, you have a point,” he sighs, “I don’t think we have just casually been talking. But I also don’t think I can do anything about it, Gems. There’s too much involved, there’s Lily and–”

“Wow, wait a second. I was mostly teasing, but... you really like him?” She seems startled by it.

“I think so,” Harry admits, a bit too timid.

Gemma’s expression changes from playful to soft, opening a small but sympathetic smile at him. “And with all you’ve been talking about for days in a row, you think he might be interested in you too?”

“I could be wrong, I could be looking too much into it, but…” he takes another deep breath, “I don’t think it has been just for banter, you know? It’s not only with the way he talks, it’s everything he’s done so far,” he confesses finally.

“I didn’t want to say anything, but it does look like he treats you and Lily differently. I thought I was seeing things where there wasn’t anything to see, but if I’m not the only one who’s noticed it, then I don’t believe we’re too far off from thinking Louis Tomlinson has a crush on you, Haz,” Gemma says, teasingly again, but Harry can see that she’s also serious about her suspicions.

“You are making it look like we are actual teenagers, stop that,” he chuckles, “but I don’t know, Gems. I could be really wrong, and that’s just Louis being a nice person who wants to be friends with me.”

“Harry, please.” She sits straight on her chair and takes Harry’s hand in hers. “I mean, alright, there’s nothing wrong with him wanting to be your friend, but this is not how friendships go, especially one that involves him being your daughter’s coach in a competition. If he just wanted to be friends, he’d keep that professional and not the way you have been acting lately. I don’t talk to my friends that much, I don’t even talk to my own husband that much, but I do remember being smitten by him after long hours on the phone and nonstop talking, and him making me laugh and blush all the time,” she smiles softly at him, “and can I be honest with you? I’ve never seen you like this with anyone before. I could be mistaken, but the only time I’ve seen you infatuated by anyone that much was the day you called me when you were on the X-Factor twelve years ago to tell me you’ve talked to the cutest boy.”

Harry can’t help but blush at Gemma’s words, remembering very well how he had felt about Louis back in the day.

“There’s nothing wrong with keeping that feeling, Haz. You’ve basically turned that it into admiration and being his fan, but now that you’ve met him again, it might have started flourishing once more and if what you said back then is true, that you thought Louis had also liked you, then I guess it hasn’t really gone away for him either,” she continues, squeezing his hands and Harry can’t deny he wants her words to be true.

“Maybe, I don’t– Ugh, I really want to believe that what we feel is mutual, because I feel so good talking to him and being around him, Gems. But I don’t want to be wrong and do anything that will mess with Lily or even make myself look stupid if it’s nothing I’ve imagined.”

“For one, I think Lily would simply love to have Louis in her life. As for Lily and the show, this shouldn’t affect her. She only has the Finals and that’s not on Louis, he has already done his best work with her so far and if that was a little biased on the fact that he might have feelings for you, well, that was her luck, but also, there’s nothing that strictly prevents you and Louis to get involved without anyone knowing,” she gives him a pointed look as he was about to interrupt her, “and I know you’d never want to do it, yeah Mr. Right, but that doesn’t mean that nothing can happen afterwards.”

“I really appreciate your optimism,” Harry says, closing his eyes and reclining on his chair, “but please, point me to the part where I don’t make a fool of myself for imagining that somehow Louis and I can work out something if I don’t even know if he feels the same about me.”

“Well, you should just try and ask?” Gemma says it like it’s the most simple solution. Harry snaps his eyes open at her and she only shrugs.

“I can’t just do that.” He shakes his head. “Have you seen me around him?”

Gemma laughs at her brother. “Yeah, I’ve seen it and it’s disgusting how flustered you get. But hey, c’mon, if you don’t try you’ll never know. You could ask him out, you could try going out with him after Lily’s rehearsal next month, and then just talk to him?”

“You say it as if it’s that easy to just ask Louis fucking Tomlinson out and as if he has the time to go out with me.” Harry rolls his eyes at her.

“I’m pretty sure if you’d ask him to marry you, he’d say yes on the spot,” she pokes her tongue out at him.

“Don’t even joke about it,” he chuckles, “but... I don’t know, wouldn’t that look too desperate? And if I have to wait that long, now that you’ve made me really consider my options, I don’t think I’ll be able to act naturally with him again, wondering if anything he does has a double intention behind them.”

“Sixteen year old you would have a stroke, I’m sure,” Gemma gives his arm a light playful punch. “But okay, you’re right, we don’t want to get into the desperate spectrum of you obsession with him.”

Harry tries to defended himself, a bit offended. “I’m not obs–”

“I’m kidding, chill, oh my God,” she laughs. “Alright, I might have something that could work in your favour.” She rolls back on her chair to her desk, checking her laptop.

It’s Harry now who goes over to her desk, curious to know what his sister has in mind. “What?”

“I was going through our catering booking, something you should be doing while talking to Louis,” she teases and Harry pinches her arm slightly, “and for this week we have one in London for that baby shower on Sunday, right?”

Harry nods, following Gemma open an email on her inbox. “You and Michal are supposed to deliver that, you called it when we booked it, saying that it would be nice to go shopping there after you were done.”

“Yeah, I did say that, but…” Gemma smiles at him, expectantly.

“But what?” Harry looks at her, not really sure what she is implying.

“Be less daft, please, Harry. Didn’t you say Louis was back in London a few days ago? How about instead of me going down to London, you deliver the catering and take the opportunity to see him?” She keeps the smile on her face, but also wiggling her brows at him.

“Oh,” Harry finally catches up with what she’s suggesting.

“Yeah.” Gemma pats him on the shoulder. “I’m giving up my shopping and my husband’s splurging for the sake of your love life. What do you say?”

At first, considering it sounds like the craziest idea they could’ve had and Harry tells his sister that he might have to sleep on it to be sure about what to do. But as the day goes on and he takes the time to finally reply to Louis’ message and to keep talking to him a bit more, something in Harry makes him eager to see Louis again, this time alone and with no links to the show or because of Lily, and maybe finally find out what’s happening between both of them.

There’s too much going on in Harry’s mind and it might be why he’s not thinking straight when he’s back home at night, still talking to Louis as he’s already in bed and he mentions that maybe he’ll be going to London on the weekend, taking Louis by surprise.

**What ? This weekend ?**

_Yeah. Gemma is not sure she’ll be able to deliver the catering service, so I guess I’ll have to go_

**What an enduring task, coming down to London, truly everyone’s nightmare**

_Haha it’s not, I really like London, it’s just the 3h drive that kills me_

**It’s basically the same time I take to go back to Donny to visit my siblings and tbh I love it, taking the car and just driving around**

_I love driving too, especially when I have Lily with me. Driving down for the taping of the show has never been a chore, but going for work is another whole different thing =/_

**I can imagine, Lily makes everything more entertaining :P But hey, hear me out, I’m still in London this weekend, if you’d like, you could come over before going back so you don’t feel so lonely being on the road for so many hours in a row :)**

Now it was Harry’s turn to be surprised, because he didn’t expect Louis to be the one to invite Harry for anything, let alone to go to his house. He was only going to suggest it himself if it would be nice for them to meet for a coffee, maybe. That’s more than he was aiming for and he can’t deny that he feels glad that Louis proposed it, promptly saying yes without minding if he sounded too excited about that.

He can’t expect anything from meeting with Louis, he should only think of this as a friendly meeting. And it’s not like they have never had a talk before. They’ve had plenty through text messages, and it will be no different talking in person, which they’ve already done that one time at Louis’ house when he and Lily stayed over, which had led to the beginning of their apparent friendship. So, he can obviously go out with Louis somewhere or simply stay at Louis’ having a pint or maybe just tea. He is not nervous to meet Louis, for fuck’s sake, he is twenty-eight years old, not a teenager anymore.

That doesn’t mean that getting ready to leave home that Sunday morning doesn’t make Harry nervous about what to wear. He doesn’t want to be overdressed, or to make Louis think he dressed himself up only for a casual meeting. But also, he can’t be underdressed, of course, because he still has to deliver the catering before heading to Louis’, so he has to be properly neat.

Lily helps him decide then, picking one of his button ups shirts – a light blue one with Japan themed patterns, with delicate white and pink details on it. He puts it over a plain white tee, along with his black jeans and his Chelsea boots. He makes sure to style his hair, taming his unruly curls into some kind of quiff, more like a timid wavy top and then he’s good to go.

He kisses Lily and his mother goodbye when he leaves the bakery after loading the car with the order for the baby shower booking and he can see Lily’s sad eyes for staying with Anne at the bakery that afternoon. He feels a bit bad for not telling her that he will be seeing Louis, but he thinks it’s best not to let her into something that he isn’t sure where it’s going.

The drive down to London goes smoothly and he arrives right on time at his client’s address, helping setting the cake, cupcakes and pastries they’ve ordered into a nice table arrangement for all the guests to enjoy. The mother-to-be seems very pleased with Harry’s work and thanks him several times before everything is ready for her party to start.

Harry doesn’t take long at the venue, and if it were a normal delivery day, he’d be sighing tiredly, wondering if the six hour-drive back and forth to Manchester was worth it only for a job that wasn’t even a full hour. But today, he doesn’t have to worry about that. He’s been eager since arriving in London to finally text Louis and say that he’s on his way over to his house and that’s what he does once he is finally done and back inside his car, looking at the bag of croissants and cookies he had baked and brought specially for Louis, per his request to have a taste of Harry’s famous baked goods.

He takes a picture of them and sends it to Louis as to let him know that he is already free.

_Wondering if I should eat these alone in my car or if I should take this over to someone xx_

**BRING THEM OVER RIGHT NOW !!!!! Are you done already ?**

_Hahah Yeah, just finished delivering the catering_

**What are you waiting for then, Curly ? I’m home, still working at the studio for a bit, do you mind coming by ? ;)**

_OMW then :P_

So Harry drives to Louis’ house in London. When he arrives, he doesn’t even need to announce himself, because Clifford is behind the gates and starts barking when he parks his car in front of the house. It takes maybe a minute for Louis to appear by the door while Harry gets out of the car. Louis opens the gates for him and Harry can see how laid-back Louis looks, wearing cotton grey shorts with a blue hoodie that seems to be a size bigger, but that makes Louis look even softer than he already is. Harry notices how tanned Louis also looks, probably due to all his time spent in LA, which makes his a bit wild caramel hair stand out along with his clear blue eyes as he walks over closer.

“Finally! I thought you were only stalling me, Styles,” Louis says in lieu of greeting him, standing by the open gates and giving space for Harry to walk in.

“I didn’t know you were so eager to see me,” Harry replies, not really minding the teasing already.

“You? Pff, please. I’m dying to eat the sweets. I’ve been down in the studio all morning, haven’t eaten anything only dreaming with the promise of scrumptious food from a certain curly haired baker,” Louis jokes, snatching the pastries bag from Harry’s hand.

“Hey!” Harry protests, but not really offended.

“I can share with you, don’t worry.” Louis laughs and winks at him. “Sharing is caring, I bet you haven’t eaten since leaving Manchester either?”

They haven’t even entered Louis’ house properly and Louis is already making Harry blush. He doesn’t think he’ll be able to have a lot of self-control today.

“No, but I ate while I was driving, so I’m good so far,” he tries to sound composed.

“Good, that way there’s more for me!” Louis then starts walking after closing the gate and looks inside the bag, inspecting its content. “But later we can order some takeaway, how about that?”

Harry smiles, trying to contain his thoughts of how long Louis is expecting him to stay over, but to be completely honest, he is not concerned about it. If he could, he’d spend all day long in Louis’ presence. Only by being with the man for a couple of minutes, his day has already improved a hundred percent.

They head towards the house with a very happy Clifford in tow. Harry plays with the dog for a while whilst Louis stops by the kitchen to already eat one of the croissants Harry has brought and then invites Harry to follow him back to the studio, where he’s been working.

Down at the studio, the afternoon goes by with Harry mostly watching Louis work, making some sound arrangements over songs that are almost done, or revising some lyrics, letting Harry hear snippets of new One Direction music, all the while they make little conversation. Louis asks what kind of catering he had to serve today, also asking more about his work at the bakery and laughing at how cheesy the establishment’s name is. The music talk goes on, with Harry being interested in knowing more about the recording process of the album, even though Louis has already told him a few things over the texts, but talking to Louis in person is a completely a different thing. Harry can see how enthusiastic Louis is about his upcoming work and that only adds to how much Harry admires Louis’ dedication for what he what does.

They also end up talking again about Harry and his past in music, Louis apparently interested in knowing if Harry still has the same passion for singing and playing as before..

“I didn’t stop enjoying singing, otherwise I wouldn’t have influenced Lily to enjoy it as much as I do,” Harry informs him, “I just stopped wanting to go after it as a career, you know? I tried for sometime when money had been short and I started singing in pubs while I was in Uni, living in Manchester by myself, but with Lily in the picture I knew that it wouldn’t be enough.”

“What I think is that you didn’t give yourself the proper chance, because if you had gone after it again, someone would’ve found you and seen how talented you are and you really would’ve gotten a shot at making it big.” Louis shrugs, now sat on his big studio chair, facing Harry as he’s munching on some of the cookies.

“You keep saying that but you haven’t even seen me singing in twelve years,” Harry laughs, feeling a little embarrassed. “My voice has changed a lot, I don’t know if I have the same confidence as before. The sparkle is gone, I guess. Now I just sing like any other ordinary person, mostly because Lily loves it.”

“I wouldn’t put it past Lily’s judgement when she says you are a great singer. Don’t underestimate your daughter’s opinion, Harry.” Louis points out, as he licks his fingers clean from the chocolate smudges.

“I don’t doubt her,” Harry shakes his head, “I just don’t think other people would think the same.”

“Let me see what I think about it then,” Louis says, sitting properly on his chair, looking Harry with a serious expression.

“What?” Harry frowns, not following what Louis means.

“Let me hear you sing, Styles.” He gives him a sly smile as he stands up, reaching for an acoustic guitar that’s been standing by the wall next to them. “The only way for me to know if my thoughts about your singing are still valid is if you sing. No better time for it, you have a studio full of guitars, microphones and an artist with a great ear for music, how about that?” Louis proposes, offering the guitar to Harry.

Harry looks from the acoustic guitar in Louis’ hand to his face, then around the room, trying to gauge his options. He can obviously say no, but then, he doesn’t want to say no to Louis and let the man down for not taking his request. It’s true he hasn’t sang seriously in a while, only joining Lily in practicing in the past few months or to himself whenever he’s feeling chirpy. He knows he’s not his best singing self at the moment, but also, it wouldn’t hurt to sing for Louis, maybe with him even (and make one of his dreams come true, to be singing with the talented Louis Tomlinson from One Direction).

“Alright,” he finally decides, taking the guitar in hand and placing it on his lap as Louis goes back to his chair with a victorious smile on his face. “What do you want me to sing?” He strums the cords, playing a few random notes to see if the instrument is in tune.

“Whatever you want, superstar.” Louis winks at him. “Surprise me.”

Harry shakes his head and inhales deeply, thinking about what to play. The first thing that comes to his mind is his audition song. It might be cheesy, considering their history, but he thinks Louis will appreciate it.

He starts then on the soft notes, humming before he starts singing.

“ _Isn't she lovely? Isn't she wonderful? Isn't she precious? Less than one minute old. I never thought through love we'd be making one as lovely as she, but isn't she lovely made from love?_ ”

His eyes are closed as he sings the first verse so he doesn’t know what Louis’ impressions of it are, but once he opens them and keeps only playing the guitar, he can see the soft expression on Louis’ face as he swings his head along with the song.

“And you say you aren’t as talented as before,” Louis says, rolling his eyes and Harry chuckles, stopping playing. “You sang for about 30 seconds and it’s like I was back in 2010, only it wasn’t a sixteen year old boy, but a truly talented grown man singing.”

Harry can’t help but scrunch up his nose at the compliment. “You are exaggerating.”

“I’m serious.” Louis does have a very sincere expression when he speaks. “Okay, then show me more of what you can do. What songs did you use to sing when you’d have your pub gigs?”

“A bit of everything, I guess.” Harry considers, remembering his repertoire from back in the day. “Most of the time I’d just sing my favourite songs.”

“I’m all ears.” Louis relaxes on his chair, giving Harry the leeway to play whatever he wants.

It feels a bit too much to be under Louis’ spotlight like that, but Harry can’t say he isn’t enjoying it, all this attention Louis has been giving him.

He decides then on singing Fleetwood Mac, one of the songs people most requested him to sing.

“ _I took my love, I took it down, climbed a mountain and I turned around and I saw my reflection in the snow covered hills til the landslide brought me down. Oh, mirror in the sky, what is love? Can the child within my heart rise above? Can I sail through the changing ocean tides? Can I handle the seasons of my life? Well, I've been afraid of changing 'cause I've built my life around you, but time makes you bolder, even children get older and I'm getting older too._ ”

“Not too shabby, ay?” Louis says after Harry’s done strumming the chords before the second verse. “I think you’ve been hiding your talent away, Styles. You’re doing nothing but make me even more impressed by you. What else have you got hidden up your sleeves?”

It’s hard not to blush under Louis’ words, feeling more confident with the way Louis seems to be enjoying him singing. If Harry can keep dazzling Louis, he will and if he has a chance to transmit a bit of what he’s been feeling for Louis through the songs somehow, no one can blame him. He’s a sap, he knows it.

“I am a bit of a fan of the oldies,” Harry replies, taking a deep breath, trying to remember the right notes to play the song on the guitar.

“ _Some day, when I'm awfully low when the world is cold, I will feel a glow just thinking of you and the way you look tonight. Yes, you're lovely, with your smile so warm and your cheeks so soft. There is nothing for me but to love you and the way you look tonight._ ”

He opts only to sing the two first verses of the song and singing Frank Sinatra to Louis might be over the top, but when he thinks about the full song, he wishes he could recite it entirely for Louis, because that’s exactly what he feels at the moment for the man in front of him, even more with Louis keeping a warm smile on his face all the while Harry sings. If Harry can notice Louis blushing a tad, he tries not to let that affect him so much.

“That’s a low blow,” Louis speaks after a moment in silence, looking like he’s trying to collect himself. “But I already knew you had an old fashioned taste in music, Harold,” Louis teases. “What about modern music? What about that obsession of yours with me band? I’m sure you’ve sang One Direction songs more times than I have.”

Harry laughs, but bites down at his lips, trying to contain himself. “Let’s not bet on it, please. But yeah, I have a few favourite from you guys.”

“What are they, then?” Louis asks and Harry can see his eyes gleam so sweetly his heart skips a beat.

It makes Harry then think of the past couple of months, when he’d listen to One Direction again and a few of their songs would hit him with thoughts of Louis.

He inhales deeply before he closes his eyes and makes up his mind on what song to play next.

“ _I'm like a crow on a wire, you're the shining distraction that makes me fly home. I'm like a boat on the water, you're the raise on the waves that calm my mind oh, every time. And I know in my heart you're not a constant star. And yeah I’ve let you use me from that day that we first met but I'm not done yet falling for you, fool’s gold. And I knew that you turn it on for everyone you met but I don't regret falling for you, fool’s gold._ ”

Harry opens his eyes mid-chorus and sees Louis watching him attentively, his lips pursed, but not in a tense way, more in a fond one that makes Harry’s heart clench for a second.

He decides on singing the entire song this time, because Louis softly joins him singing very low, but along with him. If Harry was already endeared by Louis, if he was already letting his feelings take over him and let himself believe that Louis also cared more than in a friendly way for him, when they sing “ _Yeah I know your love’s not real, that's not the way it feels, that's not the way you feel_ ”, Harry feels an incredible urge to simply get up and walk over to Louis and take him in his arms, because Louis can’t take his eyes off him and the lyrics sound more like him speaking for himself than him simply singing one of his own songs casually.

Harry takes a second to collect himself mentally from the moment they had shared, seeing Louis clearing his throat and swallowing dryly before he speaks again.

“Of one thing I am sure,” he says, tone completely steady, “Simon Cowell should regret letting you go twelve years ago, because I don’t think I’ll ever be able to listen or sing this song again without thinking of how you’d sound along with the rest of us.”

“Louis,” Harry lets out very shyly, not able to contain feeling overwhelmed by his words. “That’s… that’s very nice coming from you, thank you.”

“I’m telling the truth.” Louis smiles, leaning forward a bit on his chair, crossing his legs in front of him. “And just to let you know, my thoughts on your talent haven’t changed a bit. If only, it only made me even more fascinated by you.”

The compliment takes Harry by surprise, because it doesn’t feel like anything Louis has ever told him before. Louis looks so genuine speaking to Harry, earnest even and to say that he’s fascinated by him, that’s not a light and unpretentious praise. Louis is flattering Harry, Louis is saying that Harry fascinates him, more than impressing him and that is not something Harry can truly wrap around his head if it’s not to think that Louis is actually implying that he feels something more for him.

It’s like everything starts growing inside him, the suppressed sentiment he’s been having for Louis takes over and makes him wish things were different, wishing he could simply let himself go and go after what he wants – which is Louis. He’s a hundred percent that he wants Louis.

It’s unfair that fate has played them like that, so unfair that twelve years later, he doesn’t think he still can have a chance with Louis. Not because he doesn’t think what’s going on between them isn’t mutual, but because of everything else surrounding them. If only they’d have met in different circumstances maybe they’d have a better chance of letting whatever has been building between them happen. Maybe if Harry had met Louis by accident, who knows in a concert when he was younger, or even older, nowadays, with Louis being one of the customers who’s stopped by the bakery… maybe the odds could be on Harry’s favour and he could let Louis know how much he feels for him.

But life’s not that easy and life’s not making anything easier for Harry right now.

“I– thanks, that means a lot.” He decides to speak again, not to let the awkward silence and Louis’ piercing eyes on him linger for long. There isn’t much Harry can say without addressing Louis’ smooth way of wooing him. He can, though, continue on showing Louis what he’s been feeling through songs and he thinks he has the perfect one on his mind. “Hm, do you mind if I sing one last song?” He asks, unsure if that will work or not.

Louis frowns his brows a bit, but then smiles openly at Harry. “Of course not. I’m happy you’re feeling comfortable singing again. You can sing whatever and as many more songs as you want. Feel free, popstar.”

“It’s just another one of the songs I used to sing a lot. And I know you like Arctic Monkey, right?”

Louis nods. “Yeah, still one of my favourite bands. Trying to flatter me now, Styles?” Louis gives him a pointed look and Harry only shrugs as he smiles down at the guitar, trying to remember the notes from a song he hasn’t played nor listened to in a long time, but that is exactly what he needs at that moment.

“ _I wish you would have smiled in the bakery or sat on a tatty settee at some mutual friend's gathering, and the more you keep on looking, the more it's hard to take. Love, we're in stalemate. To never meet is surely where we're bound. There's one in every town, just there to grind you down._ ”

It’s clear in Louis’ face how surprised he is to hear that song. Harry sings it profoundly, not taking his eyes from Louis, hoping he understands that he is really singing it for him.

“ _I wish I would’ve seen you in the post office, well, maybe I did and I missed it, too busy with the mind on clever lines. Why not the rounders pitch or the canteen? You're slacking, love, where have you been? Just had to go and wait until tonight... to give me the invite. Don't worry, it's alright._ ”

Harry sings the last line very low, almost laughing to himself, because that truly is what happened today – being invited by Louis to come over, after months of only talking and letting their friendship grow into something more, or alas, after years of not seeing each other, keeping whatever they felt the first time they met to themselves, having no hopes of finding each other, but that had somehow happened again and now there they were.

“ _I wish I would have seen you down in the arcade, sipping on a lemonade in the paper cup and chewing on the straw. And I wish I'd seen you in the bakery, but if I'd seen you in the bakery you probably wouldn't have seen me._ ”

The last part of the song hits Harry harder than he wishes it had, because he only imagines what would’ve happened if nothing had gone on the way it did these past few months. If he and Louis had met by chance, would Louis have remembered him or even paid attention to him again? As for him, he knows he wouldn’t have forgotten Louis, not even if he really had tried to.

Suddenly, it all feels too much for Harry and he forgets everything he had promised himself earlier. He forgets that he should’ve tried to control himself, that he should’ve kept their conversation friendly, that he shouldn’t have let himself so vulnerable the way he did. Surely, he had been enjoying Louis’ company that afternoon, he’s comfortable around him, catching up with him, watching Louis work, with light banter and flirty comments here and there that Harry had already managed to deal with when he only had Louis on the other side of his mobile screen. Now though, with Louis in front of him, it’s not that simple to ignore everything that the other man is and does. Harry couldn’t help but play along with that and engage with the way Louis talks to him and looks at him with those soft and sincere blue eyes, so marveled by having Harry singing for him.

Harry shouldn’t have let it get that far, because he knows that whatever he hopes that can happen between then, it won’t be that easy to deal with. He can’t let anything happen between them when he has to go back to Manchester, to his daughter who is Louis’ finalist in a TV show.

But of course, that thought goes straight to the back of his mind when Harry stops singing and keeps looking at Louis, only to see the man getting up from his chair and making his way towards him on the coach Harry has been sat.

“I’d notice you,” Louis says and Harry is a hundred percent sure he understood what he wanted him to know with that song.

Harry gulps as Louis sits beside him and takes the guitar from his lap and places it on the floor. “Louis…” He doesn’t know what to say, because he can feel the tension in Louis’ eyes, how his searching for Harry’s reaction as the distance between them starts to close.

“Have I already said how you fascinate me?” Louis’ voice sounds small when he speaks again. “From day one, Harry. From day one, you’ve fascinated me. We may not have crossed paths for twelve years, but I can say that from the moment I saw you again, I knew there was something else in you. I notice everything about you.”

It becomes harder to look at Louis when he only seems to be getting closer, now putting his hand over Harry’s. It almost feels like Harry’s heart is gonna leap out of his chest to listen to Louis pour those confessions on him.

“I don’t want to assume anything, Harry, but please tell me I haven’t been misled by your charm all these months ‘cause it’s been driving me crazy. You wouldn’t sing the way you did just now if there isn’t something else in this for you too.”

Louis is soft when he speaks, but sounding more sure than he ever did before. It doesn’t make Harry feel intimidated by his questioning, though, because now he knows he hasn’t been wrong in thinking that Louis also had been having feelings for him.

“I’d never led you on, Louis.” He lets out a big and relieved sigh as he sees Louis smiling at him, his other hand reaching out to Harry’s face, caressing his cheek tenderly.

“Then I guess you won’t mind me kissing you.”

Harry doesn’t even have time to think and say that no, he won’t mind it at all, because then Louis’ lips are carefully on his.

He closes his eyes as he basks in feeling Louis so gently kissing him. It’s only a soft and sweet touch at first but one that makes Harry feel like all his dreams from when he was sixteen are finally coming true. It also makes him feel like he is sixteen again, with his heart fluttering, a bubbling sensation on the tip of his fingers as he leads the hand that Louis is not holding to the other man’s waist to hold him closer.

Louis takes the incentive to tilt his head, changing the angle and pecking on Harry’s lips a few times and Harry can feel him smiling against his mouth.

“I think my eighteen-year-old self would be celebrating right now if he knew he’d finally get to kiss the curly haired boy who peed on him,” Louis laughs as he distances himself from Harry a bit, only to rest his forehead against Harry’s and look him in the eye.

“Sixteen-year-old me then would think he finally accomplished his mission,” he replies, making Louis snort before locking their lips again, this time with more intensity, letting his tongue lick over Harry’s lips, asking for permission to deepen the kiss.

And Harry lets him, finally allowing himself to feel how sweet Louis tastes, to feel how their mouths work together, how they fit, like kissing each other is second nature, like that was what they are meant to be doing all along.

It’s cliche to say that Harry almost feels like there’s fireworks going off inside his mind with every gentle touch from Louis, with how careful Louis kisses him, but with intent, like he really had been wanting to be doing that for so long, finally savouring having Harry with him.

Harry feels beyond himself, letting himself go and enjoying being able to touch Louis, to have him in his arms as he envelopes him by the waist and brings him closer. Louis doesn’t waste the opportunity, climbing over Harry’s lap and backing him up against the couch and Harry has never felt so lucky, so in ecstasy to simply be kissing someone, _to be kissing Louis_.

Deep down, though, Harry knows that he shouldn’t, that they shouldn’t be doing that. He should stop himself, but Louis’ lips are so captivating and Harry can’t deny he’s wanted that for some time now. So let he be damned later for letting that happen, because he doesn’t want to let that thought be in the way of how good he feels with Louis.

And that’s how they stay for the rest of the afternoon, kissing a few more times before Louis leads them back to the main house, to finally order something for them to eat properly. They decide on Chinese takeaway and the time flies by when the food finally arrives and they keep the conversation going while eating on Louis’ couch, with a few lingering touches, hand-holding and more kissing, and also Clifford to entertain them as they share a cup of tea.

It shouldn’t feel that easy, but it does and that’s why it’s harder for Harry to leave, because after what’s happened that afternoon, he doesn’t know what he’s supposed to do. They’ve talked about how they had clearly been having feeling for each other, but everything Harry feared is still in the back of his mind.

And when Harry is about to get inside his car, Louis kisses him again, this time deeper than all the other times, almost as if wishing Harry won’t forget about him, won’t forget about what they’ve shared.

“This was okay, right?” Louis asks as he’s leaning against Harry’s door. He can see a bit of concern in Louis’ eyes and he curses himself internally for letting Louis doubt that it wasn’t.

Of course it was, it was everything Harry had wanted, even though it’s not what’s supposed to happen. But he can’t let Louis know that.

Harry nods and only dignifies him with another quick peck as an answer. “Absolutely.” He tries to sound the most confident as so not to let Louis think otherwise.

Louis smiles at him, his eyes shining and the wrinkles by them so prominent it makes Harry’s chest hurt as Louis steps aside to let Harry get inside the car. “Good then. Text me when you get back in Manchester, alright?”

“Sure thing.” Harry smiles back at him. “Bye, Lou.”

“Bye, H. Thanks, for everything.”

It’s the way Louis says it that tightens Harry’s heart. It’s the way Louis waves goodbye at him, with the most adorable expression on his face, the most serene smile that makes Harry hate himself for letting Louis inside when he knows he has just gotten himself into something he’s not sure he can deal with.

Things will never be the same after that, that’s for sure. What he’s not sure is if it’s for good or for bad, and he curses himself all the way back to Manchester for being so weak for Louis and for maybe screwing things up for everyone – for him and Louis, for Lily and Louis.

He hopes he’s wrong though, because if he’s really honest with himself, he doesn’t regret anything, not at all.


	5. The Live Finals - The Voice Kids UK (2022)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've come to the last chapter, better late than never! I apologize again for the long wait, but I hope it will be worth it! ;)
> 
> I still have a short epilogue to post afterwards, so stay tuned after you're done reading this!
> 
> Thanks for following this story, Harry and Louis meeting again and Lily's journey. I hope you all enjoyed it! We've been down a long road with this one, but I'm so proud of this work! Thanks to the ever so patient Sammie for dealing with me and gdocs, as always haha
> 
> Enjoy the chapter! <3

_When she was just a girl she expected the world_  
_But it flew away from her reach_  
_So she ran away in her sleep and dreamed of_  
_Para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise, para-para-paradise  
Every time she closed her eyes_

_♪_

Louis has already done some crazy things in his life, he can admit it. Specially in his first years in One Direction, being so young and led by the impulse of living the high and careless life.

He thinks that after so many years, he has settled down a bit. At 30 one is expected to, nonetheless. He still likes to party, to travel to some random country with his friends and all that, but nothing wild like in the old days.

That’s why, even though Lottie had told him that he’s probably gone mental, he doesn’t think what he’s about to do is that odd (or desperate, despite Fizzy’s remarks). No, of course it isn’t. There’s nothing wrong in him driving from Doncaster to Manchester. There’s nothing wrong in him deciding he’s waited long enough to find out what’s going on and pay Harry a visit, unannounced.

It’s not that he’s lacking self preservation or that he’s losing his pride. He just can’t take it anymore after everything that has gone on, after putting the blame on himself, after being mad at Harry for ignoring him for almost a month.

Louis doesn’t know how everything went wrong after he and Harry kissed.

They had had a wonderful afternoon that day and Louis was trying to control himself, he was trying to stay put out and and not let everything he had been feeling for Harry show, but every time Harry looked at him, it was like it only became more obvious that he couldn’t tame whatever it was that Harry made him feel. And it was hard to ignore Harry’s not so subtle way of serenading Louis, picking up songs to sing that showed so much emotion and so many hidden thoughts and feelings between them.

Louis might’ve acted without really considering the consequences, but he would hate himself even more if he hadn’t kissed Harry right there and let him know that there was a spark between them, that Louis wanted Harry as much as Harry seemed to want him back.

There was nothing that happened afterwards, as they spent the rest of the afternoon together, still sharing tender moments, that indicated Harry would somehow distance himself from Louis after it seemed all both of them wanted was to get closer to each other.

It was not that Harry became cold towards Louis; he still was the sweet and attentive man he had always been when they talked, but something shifted the moment Harry got back to Manchester after leaving Louis’ house. When before they would text nonstop, normally not taking too long to reply to the other, keeping the conversation flowing just as if they were talking in person, suddenly it appeared that Harry had been avoiding texting Louis altogether, as if he was being more careful with what he said. Some days he would take the whole day to answer something Louis said in the morning, sometimes excusing himself that he had gotten busy at the bakery and forgotten to reply to Louis. He never engaged the conversation first anymore and if Louis didn’t ask about Lily, Harry would merely mention his daughter.

At first, Louis bought that. Alright, people could get busy and not have time to talk to others, but that had never prevented Harry before from chatting with Louis while working. After a couple of weeks, though, Louis started getting worried that Harry never mentioned the afternoon again or would dismiss Louis’ implications that they could meet again soon. It really looked like Harry didn’t want to think or talk about it, as if what had happened never actually did, making Louis wonder if it was all a mistake and reconsider everything between the two of them.

It took him a while to stop mulling it over, to stop overthinking and imagining the worst, because really, if Harry was gonna act like that, then why did he kiss Louis back, why did he say all those things, why did he say it was all okay when Louis asked?

(Because really, Louis was worried about how that would affect the two of them and he wanted to make sure nothing would change – only that it did nonetheless)

Even though he wanted to get angry at Harry and call himself stupid, he knew deep down that it mustn’t have been that easy on Harry’s side either. Liam and Niall helped him put his thoughts together and realise that his situation with Harry wasn’t an easy one, as much as they were the ones to push him to be more straightforward about his feelings with Harry.

It wasn’t easy, that’s true, but they could’ve solved it if they only talked about it, if only Harry wasn’t being a prick and ignoring Louis in every attempt he made to go back to how they were. Shutting Louis off was driving Louis off the wall, because what was he supposed to do now? Harry had left him so hopeful that his feelings were reciprocated, that something could bloom between them only to pretend nothing that happened was real.

And worse, how’s Louis supposed to deal with it alone, not knowing how Harry’s really feeling about him and only see him again before the Live Finals with Lily? Louis can’t do that, nope.

He tries to ignore Harry’s cold treatment for a while, even if it eats him up, even it hurts that they’ve lost that beautiful and special connection they’ve made, not only between the two of them, but between Louis and Lily as well.

Louis lets it go and doesn’t push Harry anymore and tries to focus back on his work, on the new One Direction album. The recording is all done and now they have started working on art work and promo settings, and there’s a lot of photoshoots involved and management talks, so Louis gets himself occupied and if Harry says that he’s too busy to talk to Louis, then Louis can also pull that card on him (not that the man has asked anyway, their conversation looks more dead and awkward then it did when they first started talking).

That’s how he’s found himself back in Doncaster. He always takes the time to visit his younger siblings often, but since the beginning of the year he hadn’t had much time with The Voice and the recording of the new album.

For the album cover, they’ve decided to go with a “back to the roots” theme, using their hometowns as the scenery for the photos. So one way or another he had to pay his family an overdue visit, which he was more than happy to do. He’s missed them so much, even though they never miss their weekly Facetime call, but to see how the younger twins had grown and to catch up with Daisy and Phoebe about their Uni studies, there’s nothing more precious than that.

And talking to his siblings, especially with Fizzy and Lottie, has opened up his eyes a little bit. They already knew about Harry, of course, and when they noticed that Louis hadn’t updated them on anything new about him, they pried on him to know what was going on.

He can only blame them for making him feel like he can’t let what he and Harry have go to waste and deciding out of the blue, before going back to London, to drive to Manchester and talk to Harry in person.

“That’s not what we’re suggesting, Louis,” Lottie had said to him, looking like Louis had actually lost his senses. “You can’t just appear at his house like that. You should try to talk to him, yes, but don’t be blunt, otherwise you’ll scare him off even more if you think that it was whatever you did that pushed him away initially.”

“He won’t talk to me, have you missed that bit? I don’t know what to do anymore, and as much as I want to let it go, I don’t want things to be over like this, even if they have barely started.” Louis had sighed, tiredly.

“You really like him, don’t you?” Fizzy had given him a comforting smile. “I get it, but Lou, if you make yourself this desperate, you might blow things even more. Just give him some more time, maybe? You can always wait til the show is back to talk to him.”

“I’m not–” Louis had shaken his head, “alright, fine.” He simply dismissed the conversation as so not to get even more frustrated about everything.

He understands where his sisters were coming from, but still, there’s something inside him that won’t calm down if he doesn’t know what has changed for Harry, because if anything, for him, it has only made Louis even more sure that what he feels for Harry isn’t something silly.

So on Saturday morning he is on the M62 after much tossing and turning in bed overnight and deciding that he has to do something about it. What exactly he’s going to do or say to Harry, he doesn’t know, even if every possible conversation scenario goes over his head while driving down the motorway. The only thing he hopes is that he doesn’t make a completely fool of himself by appearing at Harry’s bakery.

That was the most sensible thing he had come up with the previous night. Even though he could’ve found the man’s home address, he thinks that would’ve been over the top. Also, he knows that Harry will be working late in the morning, so going directly to him without wasting much time seemed more logical.

Finding the place in the suburbs of the city is not that hard, not taking too long to locate the establishment in a busy square surrounded by other stores. Being a Saturday, it’s expected that people would be out and about shopping. Louis hadn’t considered that and now he only hopes he’ll be able to go inside the bakery unnoticed. Maybe his Raybans and Denim jacket will help him with that, helping him to blend in with the customers without calling attention to himself.

Sweet Styles is a rather cozy place, Louis notices as he steps inside. It’s bigger than he imagined it, with a few round tables, a large shelf on one of the walls filled with mugs for people to buy, another one on the other end filled with magazines and books, and right on the opposite side of the entrance, a huge glass display filled with the most well-prepared sweets and pastries. It sure fits every description Harry has told him about, and also, it looks so much like Harry. It’s not difficult for Louis to picture Harry working here, remembering all the times the man had told Louis what he was doing and where he was.

It’s also not difficult for Louis to spot him right after he closes the door behind himself. Harry’s behind the til, as he usually would be when he’d tell Louis about his duties. There’s a customer speaking to him and Harry’s smiling, with his dimple showing off so delicately.

It makes Louis’ stomach flutter to see Harry again and remember how beautiful he is. He can’t help but let a smile appear on his own face and take off his shades to have a better look at Harry.

“Louis?!” A small girly voice chirps and Louis immediately glances beside Harry to see Lily with her big eyes wide open in surprise to see him there.

Obviously, everybody around Louis turns to look at him. There it goes, his hopes to be casual about this whole thing.

“Hi,” he says, not so sure what else to do when Harry looks up at him with a stunned expression.

“What are you doing here?” The little girl squeals as she rounds the counter and walks to him. Louis doesn’t even have time to react before Lily wraps her arms around Louis and he returns the hug gently.

“I decided to see how my shiny contestant is doing, how about that?” He replies, trying to sound nonchalant as he sees the rest of the customers paying attention to them, at the same time not to let Lily see that he’s nervous about being there.

“I promise I’ve been practicing! You haven’t come to spy on me, have you?” Lily asks, looking up at him suspiciously.

Louis laughs at that. “Of course not, love. I’m sure you are, I just think I’ve missed you a bit.” He lets go of their embrace to give her a  genuine smile.

Lily’s eyes sparkle softly. “Me too! Didn’t Dad send you my video last night?”

That bit of information makes Louis’ heart sink a bit, to know that Lily is still expecting Louis and Harry to be interacting as she knew they did before, when in reality Harry had been depriving him from something as sweet as Lily’s message for him.

“I might’ve not seen it, sorry, Lils,” he says, hoping to cover how sad he’s gotten. “But maybe your Dad can show me it now?”

Louis finally looks at Harry’s direction, who had apparently been watching their interaction and listening to what they’ve been saying, by the way he’s looking downwards and biting his lips after the costumer had already left.

“Yeah, he won’t mind!” Lily opens a big smile at Louis and turns around to face Harry. “Dad! Come here, come say hi to Louis!” She takes Louis by the hand, making him walk closer to the counter with her.

It takes Louis by surprise, but he follows her, just dreading actually talking to Harry a bit now that he has acknowledged his presence, and doesn’t look all too thrilled to see Louis in his workplace all of a sudden.

“Hi,” Harry greets him very low, as Louis can see the nervousness in Harry’s face as he gulps down.

Louis takes in Harry very closely –  the way his cheeks are flushed, be it by the hot air in the bakery or by the embarrassment of the situation, the way his green eyes are shiny and wide, the way his curls look a tad longer than then last time Louis had seen the man, but being held back by a red bandana.

Harry’s as gorgeous as ever and Louis doesn’t know what to feel at the moment – if he lets himself be overwhelmed by seeing Harry again, or mad at him for what the past month has been.

“Hello there, Styles,” Louis opts to pretend that everything is fine as he gives Harry a crooked smile.

“What are you doing here, Louis?” Harry asks, but differently than Lily’s excitement, Louis can see that Harry’s cautious.

“I found out that someone has been denying me cute Lily videos, so I decided it was time to check them, and actually on her meself,” he tries to joke, winking down at Lily, but he can’t deny his words are a little bittersweet.

“You said you were going to send him my video singing last night, Dad. He hasn’t seen it.” Lily seems proper sad when she says it.

Harry closes his eyes, shaking his head and Louis only wonders what’s going on inside the man’s head.

“I fell asleep and forgot about it, petal. I’m sorry,” Harry replies, lopsided smile on his face.

“I wouldn’t mind seeing it now,” Louis says, not trying to be too straightforward, but hoping that Harry gets the hint that he’s there to talk to him, that he won’t mind talking to him right now.

Harry looks at him, and his eyes lose the gleam they had just a moment before, now looking so glum Louis doesn’t understand what has happened between them to come to this.

It seems Harry’s about to speak as he opens and closes his mouth, but he doesn’t have time as another customer approaches the counter.

“I’ll get that, just a sec,” he informs before he turns his attention back to the till to talk to an old lady.

“I have to tell Aunt Gemma you’re here.” Lily calls Louis’ attention then, not a trace of noticing the tension between her father and Louis. “Stay right where you are, I’ll be right back!”

“Okay.” Louis chuckles at her delight as she walks behind Harry, disappearing into a backdoor.

He looks around himself, putting on his sunglasses again, not knowing exactly what to do with himself as he watches the few people who are still in the bakery, who seem to have gone back to their own business and didn’t actually pay any mind to Louis. He’s glad for that, but then, he has to pay attention to Harry, who’s finishing the customer’s order and glancing at Louis as he gives the woman her change back.

Harry breathes in deeply and closes his eyes for a brief moment before he finally looks at Louis.

“What are you really doing here, Louis?”

There isn’t much escape for Louis than to tell him the truth.

“I’m sorry for showing up here without telling you, I know I should’ve, but I’m sure that if I had sent you a message telling you, you’d dismiss it, or simply ignore my messages.” Louis shrugs, not really sorry for sounding a bit harsh and hurt.

“I wouldn’t,” Harry says gingerly and it feels like he’s being sincere, but Louis can’t believe that when Harry’s actions haven’t indicated he would actually respond to Louis properly.

“How would I know if you have barely talked to me?” Louis knows that talking to Harry in the middle of his bakery with people watching them is not the right place for it, but he can’t help it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t come here to barge in on you, I just… I just can’t deal with the silent treatment, Harry and I really wanna talk to you and know what’s going on. If you don’t want to talk to me that’s fine, I’ll just go back to my car and head to London, and it’s alright. But I had to try at least.”

“You came all the way from London?” Harry seems alarmed by that.

“No, I was in Doncaster,” Louis clarifies, “I would’ve told you all about that if you seemed to care.”

It comes out way colder than Louis intended, but it’s the truth.

Harry seems taken aback by the way Louis is speaking. He takes another deep breath, now pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to collect himself.

“Louis, I did–”

“Louis Tomlinson, to what do we owe the honour of your visit to our humble bakery?” Before Harry can properly reply to Louis, Gemma interrupts him by appearing from the same door Lily had disappeared through, coming along with the little girl by her side.

“Hello, Gemma,” Louis greets her as Gemma’s presence lifts up his mood a bit. “I got a little curious to know if the place was everything Harry here had told me about, had to see it with me own eyes, and actually try some of the recipes meself. And obviously, couldn’t help but check how our lovely Lily is doing,” he adds, joking as Lily looks at him a bit offended that Louis didn’t say she was his main reason to be there.

“Those are very solid reasons,” Gemma laughs, but she shots a quick glance at her brother. “I’m sure Harry can show you around the bakery, give you something to taste.”

“I, er, of course,” Harry mumbles, “if Louis wants to eat anything, of course.”

Louis would love to have some of the delicious pastries Harry and Gemma have in the bakery, actually remembering the ones he ate when Harry had taken some to his house, but that only reminds him of the reasons why he’s there. He feels that if he delays what he’s set on doing, he might lose the courage to do it at all.

“That would be lovely, but I’d prefer to have a chat with your brother first, if he doesn’t mind, that’s it.”

His straightforwardness doesn’t go unnoticed by neither Gemma nor Harry, who share a silent look. Lily regards them curiously, not really knowing what’s going on.

“Do you need to talk to Dad about me?” She asks, a small concern in her voice.

“No, love,” Louis quickly reassures her. “You’re fine, I’ll definitely talk to you more later, it’s just adult stuff.” He tries to put it in the easiest way.

“You’re not mad at him, are you?” Lily inquires, a worried expression on her face. “Or at me?”

It pains Louis to have Lily concerned like that. He wishes he didn’t have to put her between whatever is going on with him and Harry. And at that moment he understands, maybe, the reason why Harry might’ve distanced himself and more than ever, Louis needs to know it from him.

“Of course not,” he replies, and maybe he can’t really say that he hasn’t been mad at Harry, but he’ll let that implicit. “Nothing to worry about, just a friendly talk with him.” Louis finally looks at Harry again, giving him a sympathetic and hopeful smile and Harry nods slightly at him.

“You don’t mind being on the till while I take a break, right?” Harry addresses Gemma and Louis can almost see her rolling her eyes at his brother.

“For the love of God, Harry, no. Just go.” She’s actually pushing him away from the counter as he starts taking off his apron – one with pink flamingos and cupcakes all over it.

“You can keep helping aunt Gemma with the change, petal. We’ll be right back,” Harry tells Lily as he walks past her, kissing the top of her head and she smiles at him.

Louis shouldn’t feel so endeared by the scene in front of him, but he does.

“Cool! And Louis, please, don’t go away without coming back to eat some cookies and cupcakes! I’ll save them for you!” Lily looks at him with such lovely green eyes it’s hard for Louis to ignore how much he cares and adores this girl.

“I won’t, I promise.” He smiles back at her before following Harry as the man indicates him to walk towards the bakery door.

Their short walk outside feels awkward and that’s all Louis doesn’t want it to be. He’s not sure where Harry’s taking him and he’s already thinking what to say to break the silence when Harry speaks.

“There’s a set benches just behind the bakery, we could sit there?” Harry has his hands inside his pockets but at least his looking at Louis, which gives him more courage to say anything.

“Yeah, no problem.” Louis nods and walks along Harry, rounding the corner of the bakery to see a smaller square with a cobbled path, surrounded by a well cared for green lawn, with sparse trees, which leads to the backstreet, with maybe six sets of benches. “Listen, Harry, I’m sorry if I sounded too pushy back there, I didn’t mean to.”

“No, you don’t have to apologise,” Harry replies as he takes a seat on the first of the benches. Louis follows him, sitting by his side. “I certainly deserved it.”

At least it seems Harry reckons he’s been an arse to Louis. But the reason why still remains.

Louis takes deep breath before considering what to say.

“Still, I didn’t want to cause a scene in front of Lily. I didn’t want to cause a scene at all, it’s just… I’m so confused, Harry, really. I just want to understand what’s going on, because I’ve been rethinking what happened and I’ve spent the past month wondering if I did anything wrong, if I misread any of your signals and if I shouldn’t have kissed you bac–”

“It’s not your fault, Louis,” Harry shakes his head, cutting Louis off, “believe me, it’s not. You did nothing wrong. I told you it was completely alright.”

“I wanted to believe that, but when you shut me off right after, it was hard to.” Louis bites down at his lips, nervous to understand Harry’s attitude.

Harry seems nervous too as he runs a hand through his hair and closes his eyes.

“Louis, I know this might look simple for you. It was for me at first, it seemed like it was so easy, that it could be so easy, but in reality I knew that if I let myself go, if I let anything happen between us, it would be too complicated.” It feels like Harry’s taking a weight off his chest as he speaks and it hurts Louis to know that Harry’s holding back his feelings by thinking about what it could’ve been between them.

“I let myself go that day at your house already knowing that it shouldn’t have happened,” he continues, “and no, before you say it, I don’t regret it, Louis, not at all.” Louis feels relieved at that, at least. That was the one thing he didn’t want to hear from him. “I like you, Louis, a lot, I think I made myself pretty clear already,” Harry finally looks at Louis with soft eyes, “otherwise I wouldn’t have kissed you, spent the whole day with you, wanting more than that. But the thing is, there is more to it than only that, there isn’t only me. There’s also Lily and everything that comes with her, with you, the show and that’s a lot. That’s a lot to deal with and I just didn’t actually know how to.”

Louis is not surprised by that and he gets it, he understands Harry’s concern, but still, that was not only on him, to decide to just ignore Louis because of his own worries that also involved Louis.

“Harry, please, you have to know that you’re not the only one that has thought it over, that has worried about it. I didn’t know if I should do something about us because of everything that there is between us. Even though, I took a risk, because my feelings for you are real and I think you’re worth it,” Louis says, earnestly, hoping to convey Harry how he really feels. “I’ve thought about the show, I’ve thought about Lily, I’ve thought about even the press if they knew I had gotten involved with a contestant’s parent, and… I just don’t mind. I mean, we didn’t say anything, but I’d really be willing to deal with whatever shit that would come my way because of that, because really, you and Lily are one of the best things that’s happened to me recently. I adore her so much, I care so much about you and her, I’d never want anything bad to happen to her and the competition because of me, because of you and me.”

Harry is listening to him and if a small smile appears on his lips while Louis speaks, it quickly disappears as his brows knit in concern.

“But that’s the thing, Louis. You care so much about her, I know you do, and among all the things I’ve thought about, I couldn’t help but wonder if our feelings have been caught up in the middle of your reasons to keep putting Lily through the competition.” Harry’s serious when he voices his thoughts and Louis is somehow taken aback by that, not quite believing Harry would think that.

“That’s not true, Harry,” he shakes his head, sadly, “you can’t think I’d do that. I know now how much the competition means to her, to you and I’d be an arsehole if I did that thinking about meself. I chose Lily because of her talent, I fell in love with her the moment she started her Blind audition and from then on, she only grew on me. It’s true that my feelings for you also grew along, but above everything, I’ve always been professional when it came to the show and Lily’s part in it, you have to believe me.”

Louis takes off his sunglasses, making sure to look Harry in the eyes, so he knows that he means it.

“I’d never do something to jeopardize her chances on the show and since I’ve realised how much I also care for you, I’ve only been trying to reason with meself if it should be right to act on it, even though I know I have crossed some lines from the beginning,” he laughs weakly at the memories of their not so subtle chats, “but I always made sure to keep it more friendly than anything. I’ve only let meself go that day at my house because I felt that it was completely mutual and also because I already knew Lily’s fate in the competition was not on me anymore and there wouldn’t be any consequences if we took anything further and people knew about it, there wouldn’t be a reason for people to think I’d favoured her in any way.”

“I’ve tried to reason with myself, Louis, I’ve tried to see it the way you’re putting it and I believe in you,” Harry is looking at him tenderly, understanding, “but I don’t think it’s that easy, because I keep thinking that if we were to work out, even after the show, what would people say, you know? Especially if she wins, I don’t think it would be fair to her to wonder if you only liked her because of me.”

Louis is a bit offended that Harry would consider Lily to think that way. “I really hope she knows it’s not that at all, Harry.”

“I know, I’m sorry, it’s just… I worry, Louis, that’s all. And it’s not because I worry that it means I don’t feel the same way about you. I hope you know I do, I haven’t lied, haven’t led you on with my feelings. I truly like you, the way I never thought I’d like someone in a long time.”

The confession makes Louis’ heart flutter and even though he feels hurt with Harry’s concern, he still feels so much for Harry, so much that he can’t help but want to kiss him again. He knows now’s not the time, even though they seem to be opening up to each other and understanding how they are feeling, so he contains himself putting his Raybans back on just so Harry doesn’t see right through him, even though Harry scoots a bit closer to him and keeps his doe eyes on him as he continues.

“But my main concern is Lily, she is my number one priority and I have to think about her before anything else, sometimes even before myself. This is all too sudden for me, and I was hit with so much that I just thought that putting some distance between us would help me put my thoughts and feelings in place. I know I did wrong, I shouldn’t have left you in the dark and make you wonder if what happened between us was a mistake. It wasn’t, Louis. It was one of the best things that’s happened to me in a while too.”

Louis really, really wants to kiss Harry after that, but he doesn’t want to ruin things even more, but he can’t help himself altogether when he tentatively reaches one of his hands to Harry’s intertwined ones on his lap. When Harry doesn’t complain or seem to avoid the gesture, Louis relaxes a bit and squeezes Harry’s hand.

“I wanted this to be easy, Louis, I actually do, more than anything, but I don’t think it can,” Harry sighs, sadly, squeezing Louis’ hand back, “because of the competition and with Lily involved, and also because I haven’t been in a relationship in so long, and to think of it happening with you, someone as famous as you, it’s quite a lot. It’s not only me, Louis. If it were, I wouldn’t mind anything, but, I have to consider everything else, as much as I like you.” Harry lowers his face, not looking directly at Louis and Louis can’t let Harry feel so defeated, so hopeless about what they could have.

He understands though, he understands all of Harry’s concerns and he wishes they could find a way to make things easier for them. Deep down, Louis knows it’s more complicated than that. He just doesn’t want to lose Harry, not again, when he’s just had him in his life again.

“I think we’ve established that how much we feel for each other is not the problem here,” Louis tries, very carefully, to reach his hand for Harry’s chin, lifting his face to make the man look at him again. “Even with everything, I know that I can’t stop meself from liking you, Harry. I can’t step back on that. I feel like I’ve left these feelings tucked inside for too long and now that they’ve come out for air, they don’t ever want to go back to being ignored again. Whatever way you’ll have me, I’ll take it, but please don’t shut me off again, don’t shut me off from Lily’s life either. I can’t give up on that, on what we’ve build and shared so far.” He caresses Harry’s cheek with his thumb and watches as Harry preens on the gesture, how soft he looks, how his tender green eyes are glistening at him, at his words.

“I’m sorry again, I didn’t know what to do. I never wanted to make you feel like I don’t want you to be part of my and Lily’s life. I do, so much, but…”

“Harry,” Louis calls him firmly, making the other man look at him with close attention, “we don’t need to do anything about how we feel for each other right now. We might’ve acted hastily because of the moment we had that day, which doesn’t excuse the fact that we do care so much about one another. We can continue the same way we’ve been so far, I’d never want to lose that, your friendship and Lily’s affection.”

Harry nods at him, opening a more cheerful smile. “I’d like that, yeah. I’m sorry I’ve made a bigger mess out of this than it should’ve been.” He chuckles softly, his eyelashes fluttering as he closes his eyes, his dimple appearing again.

The heavy tension between them seems to have dissipated and Louis can feel the lingering affection for one another, the clear sensation that even though things are still quite not certain between them, they want the same. They want each other. Louis can’t contain anymore how much he wants to have Harry’s touch again and he knows he could screw everything up after this heartfelt conversation they’ve had, but again, if Harry feels all he says he does, Louis hopes he won’t mind what he’s about to do.

“Can I just make an even bigger mess right now and kiss you?” He asks, unpretentiously and unashamedly, running his eyes over Harry’s face, from his green expectant eyes to his inviting rosy lips.

“I could pretend I haven’t wanted it since the moment you entered the bakery, but I just can’t, so fuck it,” Harry replies eagerly and before Louis can actually make the first move, Harry turns his body towards Louis completely, takes off his glasses and kisses him.

It’s just a touch of their lips, sweet and innocent. Louis doesn’t want to ruin anything, so he doesn’t press much, even though his hand leaves Harry’s cheek to run up to the back of his neck and tangles with the man’s unruly curls.

Harry laughs over Louis’ mouth and is actually the one to ask for more and Louis can’t deny him it. So they deepen the kiss, parting their lips and letting their tongues explore each other, not for too long though, just long enough for them to have a taste of what they’ve missed from each other.

“Way to keep it simple,” Louis says as he breaks the kiss and distances himself, taking his sunglasses back from Harry’s hand and placing them on the neck of his shirt.

Harry then takes Louis’ hand in his own, lacing their fingers. “This hasn’t been easy since the beginning, why pretend it can be? Whatever we decide on, I can’t fool myself, neither fool you anymore, Lou.”

Louis breathes in deeply because he knows, after everything Harry has said, that he can’t get much more from Harry than that. He’s already lay his cards on the table and said that he wants them to continue the way they were before. Now it’s only up to Harry to decide what he wants too.

“So, what do we do?”

Harry bites down at his lips, thoughtfully before he speaks again. “I really, really wouldn’t like to lose what we have either, Louis, but as I said, right now it’s just hard. Even though it’s hard, it’s easier when I have you, as a friend and that’s the thing I miss the most and I think we’re good at that.” He laughs slightly.

“I guess we’re great at that too. Not that I mind the kissing, though,” Louis replies, cheekily, cocking his eyebrow at him and licking his lips playfully.

“Louis!” Harry reprehends him, but jokingly. “I mean, I wouldn’t either, but I don’t want this to be more complicated, but maybe, I don’t know,” Harry squeezes their entwined hands, “once things are not so chaotic anymore, if you still feel the same way about this, about me, about us… I would very much like to try.”

“Is this a promise, Styles?” Louis feels hopeful again that Harry is considering giving himself and them both a chance.

Harry shrugs, nonchalantly smiling at Louis. “Maybe. As long as you don’t forget about it, or about me and Lily once this is all over.”

Louis doesn’t ask for permission this time before he takes Harry’s lips in his again in a quick peck. “I think it’s kinda hard to forget about you. Haven’t really the first time, so it won’t be now, Harold. You won’t get rid of me that easily.”

It feels like Louis’ worries from earlier in the morning are from ages ago after that. It’s relieving to finally get everything he had been feeling and thinking out of his chest and to understand why Harry acted the way he did these past weeks.

He doesn’t regret it at all going to Manchester to have things sorted with Harry. Their talk was so important to let them both know where they stand with their feelings, and even though they agree that at the moment it’s better for them to hold them back for a while and wait for when the time is right, that’s the best outcome Louis could’ve had from all of this.

Having Harry and Lily back in his life is something he never wants to lose again and he knows that it will take some time for them to go back to where there were a month ago before it got too complicated. Louis also knows, though, that things are gonna be alright when he and Harry kiss one last time for good to settle that they’re okay with the whole waiting thing. He then goes back to the bakery to talk to Lily again and to see the little girl’s face light up at seeing that he didn’t go away without keeping his promise to her to taste some of the Sweet Styles’ pastries, it’s another great reminder of why they are doing this.

Louis will take his time though, he won’t pressure or impose himself back into their lives. It’s clear Harry wants this as much as he does, so he’ll let things run as naturally as they can and he’ll give Harry the space he needs to sort himself out.

At least he goes back to London feeling hopeful that things can work out for them and he can focus better on his job again without constant thoughts of Harry in his mind to distract himself from worrying too much.

For the next couple of weeks then, he’s mind is filled with ideas of what to do for the Finals with Lily and Serenna on The Voice.

As always, he goes over a long list of songs to find the perfect ones for them, remembering each girl’s personalities and abilities, what will suit them better, what will give them a better chance to captivate the audience to vote for them.

Louis feels he has made the right decisions regarding their songs when the piano rehearsal day comes and he shows Serenna that she will be singing _Beautiful_ by Christina Aguilera, seeing how excited the girl is to sing that, telling Louis that Aguilera is one of her inspirations. Louis couldn’t be happier that he chose a song for her that will bring out how strong and talented she is. Their piano rehearsal goes as smooth as Louis imagined and he is so proud to see how much Serenna has bloomed throughout the competition and that she’ll shine even brighter on the Finals.

When it’s Lily’s turn, Louis can’t lie that he hasn’t been looking forward to seeing her again since that day in Manchester. Even though he and Harry have gone back to talking more to each other again, and Louis is in the loop with how Lily’s been doing, he has missed the little girl incredibly and is just too excited to tell her the song he picked for her, being able to keep that a secret from her and Harry.

Having her in the studios again is such a joy and Lily is thrilled that Louis has given her _Paradise_ by Coldplay to sing as her Final song.

“You always know what songs I love,” she tells him as she reads the sheet of paper with the lyrics.

“I think I might have a sixth sense for that,” Louis jokes, winking at her.

“Or my dad has told you that,” Lily giggles as she tilts her head knowingly at him.

“Well, it might or might not be true, but I also might have a very good memory and remembered you said you liked Coldplay, so there’s also that,” Louis laughs along. “Either way, I’m glad you’re happy with your song, so I assume you won’t even need coaching with it, you know it by heart, right?”

“Of course I do! But you can always help me with it!” She answers, taking a look at the paper again.

“Let’s waste no time then.” Louis nods at David to start the song on the piano so they can rehearse it and show Lily how he wants the song to sound in her voice.

As expected, Louis doesn’t have much to guide Lily on the song, and only encourages her to have a great time performing and putting her personality into it as she always does. He also reminds her that there’s no pressure, that she’s going to do amazing and that everyone is proud of her for coming so far, and if she’s happy with herself, then that’s all that should matter, regardless of the outcome of the competition.

He makes sure to tell her that because he cares about her, he cares that she doesn’t have to worry again about making anybody but herself proud. He does that because he knows that Harry would like him to reassure his daughter again, and Louis can’t let Harry down in his promise to help Lily in anyway he can.

And speaking of Harry, Louis almost doesn’t have the time to see him before everyone leave for the day. When he arrived with Lily, Louis was already inside the studio dealing with production stuff along with Danny and Pixie, and now that they are going home, they barely greet each other, only stealing a glance and a smile as Lily runs towards her father and Harry waves at Louis before they exit the studios.

Louis can’t deny that he misses being close to Harry, misses their teasing in person like they used to in the first rehearsals. Nothing has changed though, they have gone back to their usual selves while texting and eventually, they’ll have some time to talk and to be alone with each other again.

They are fine, Louis knows that, and if he is a bit more patient, he and Harry can work out what happens next to them

 

*****

 

On the occasions Gemma stays late at the bakery with Harry until they close, she often follows him to their mother’s house simply to give her a kiss, to listen to Lily’s rambles about her day at school, and sometimes even with the pretence that she and Michal are too lazy to cook only to have Anne offering her a few tupperwares with the dinner she has prepared.

Mondays are not usually the days Gemma would keep Harry company, but this one is a special one. It’s the day Lily’s episode on The Voice Kids will finally air. The Blind Auditions had already started on Saturday night and Lily had made Gemma promise she would watch every episode with her.

Of course that shouldn’t even be a promise. It was an unspoken agreement that their Saturday family night would be extended to a week of family hangout to watch the show every night until the day they’d have to head to London for the rehearsals of the Live Finals.

Even with Lily’s Blind Audition being only on the third episode, they obviously wouldn’t miss the chance of getting glimpses of her talking with the other contestants. And also, to actually see the other kids’ auditions, which they’ve always loved to watch from the previous editions (and maybe, for Harry, to have more chances to watch Louis on TV).

On Saturday night, then, Gemma had come along with Michal to have dinner together with Harry, Lily and Anne as usual, and then later they were all sitting down on the couch ready to tune in on ITV to watch the show.

“Do you think they’ll show me on the first episode, Dad?” Lily had asked from her spot in the middle of the couch between Harry and Anne.

“Well, we did chat with a few kids before and after your performance, didn’t we? They always make sure to include everyone in there, so we’ll only have to wait and see, right?” Harry had sent her a warming smile, noticing how excited she seemed.

“Is there any of other contestants’ performances you want to see, Lilipad?” Gemma had asked. She was sitting on the other loveseat sofa along with Michal, who had one of his arms around her shoulders.

“Everyone’s, I guess,” Lily had shrugged, “everybody was so good. I don’t remember much from the one’s I watched after mine. I liked everyone I met there that day and I know they sounded amazing too.”

Anne had pinched her cheek gentily. “They sure did, sweetpea, as did you.”

Harry was about to say that everyone they met, even the ones who didn’t get picked by the coaches seemed to be very talented, when his mobile buzzed inside his jeans’ pocket. He let Lily keep talking with his mother, Gemma and Michal as he took a look at his phone to see Louis had sent him a message.

It shouldn’t make his heart skip a bit, not anymore. They have been past that for a long time, but Harry can’t deny that after everything they’ve talked about, that they’ve settled about how they feel for each other, to see Louis still in touch with him, wanting to keep talking to him, it only makes Harry want to forget all those stupid things he said about giving themselves some time. Because, truly, Louis’ gentle affection and care, all too friendly, is too much for Harry to deal with, knowing the complicated feelings between them.

Still, he talks to Louis as if his heart doesn’t burst, wanting to take that unknown step he was so scared to take he almost screwed everything up for both of them. He tries to tuck away his feelings and remind himself that later he’ll deal with them, that they’ll give themselves the chance to deal with all of it later.

And so they have been texting each other just like they did before, although with less subtle flirty comments, but not turning anything into an awkward conversation they don’t want to have. They still talk about anything and everything, Harry still gets distracted at the bakery by something Louis says, and Harry still makes Louis say that he regrets ever talking to Harry again after he sends him yet another of his very funny jokes (“ _Knock Knock_ ” Harry had texted him one night after getting ready to get in bed and had been hit with an sudden idea for a joke to tell Louis while he was in the toilet. “ **For fuck’s sake Harold , don’t you start it .** ” “ _Louis, pleeeeeeeeeeease :)_ ”  “ **Ugh fine . Who’s there ?** ” “ _Urine_ ” “ **.............. Urine who ?** ” “ _Urine secure, don’t know what for XD XD XD_ ” Louis had simply sent him a screenshot of the block option of Harry’s contact).

Everything seems to be going fine with them, as well as Harry expected, and even that Saturday morning they had texted already a few times, so it was not unexpected for Harry to receive a message from Louis. He just can’t control that he sometimes feels like a teenager receiving a text from his crush (if Gemma ever hears him thinking that way, she’d have a field day).

So he had opened the message to see what Louis was asking him.

**Hey curly ! Everything ready to watch The Voice tonight ?**

_We’re all sat on the sofa waiting for it to start. Gemma and Michal came over too! Lily’s pretty excited about it :D How about you?_

**I always get too self conscious to watch meself on the telly and to rewatch some of the auditions knowing that I wanted to turn for the kid but didn’t :/ sometimes it stings but well we can’t go back in time and change things**

_Don’t be sad =/ You ended up with an amazing team!_

**I know I did :) I don’t regret my decisions for a minute , specially Lily’s ;)**

_Don’t be biased now :P Was there anyone else you were so sure about turning right away?_

**Well I can tell you as the show goes on , how about that? 8)**

Harry couldn’t say no to that and miss the opportunity to chat with Louis a little bit more, and obviously, they keep texting while they watch the show together. Harry asked about Louis’ thoughts on the contestants, Louis told him how every blind audition felt for him, how hard it was for him to decide if those little voices on stage were worth turning for or not. Harry found out that the coaches didn’t have any information on the contestants until after the auditions, so everything they were seeing on TV, the parts where they show the kids at home, talking about their passion for music, what the parents have to say about their children, that was all new to Louis as it was the first time he was watching the edited episode.

It made Harry wonder what Louis would think of Lily’s segment when they’d show it. Also, it made Harry absolutely terrified that he’d see himself on TV and relive all the embarrassment he felt for being put under the spotlight after Lily’s performance.

At least, he had two days to prepare himself for that, and he had actually forgotten about it as they keep watching the episode that Saturday night, and then also on Sunday, when Gemma and Michal had come over again, as they had promised Lily one more time they would. And as the previous night, Louis and him kept texting each other about the show.

It doesn’t go unnoticed by his family the constant use of his phone. He doesn’t hide it, though. He tells them that he’s talking to Louis and Lily doesn’t miss the opportunity to send Louis some messages herself. His mother and Gemma, on the other hand, only keep a close and concerned watch on him.

He’d told them about his situation with Louis and Anne told him to do what he felt was right and safe for him, that he wasn’t wrong to think first about Lily and what that would mean for them, how that could affect their lives. Gemma thought he was fooling himself, but if that’s what they decided on, then he should only be careful not to end up hurt for not doing what his heart felt right to do.

They just want what’s best for both him and Lily, he knows that, and he’s glad that he doesn’t have to hide anything from them. Apart from Lily, who’s just aware that her dad and Louis are very good friends, making her thrilled for being close to the artist they’ve admired for a long time. Harry’s happy that Lily’s relationship with Louis is so pure and haven’t changed because of him being a scared shit for a few weeks. Louis would never let that happen, after emphasising how much he cares for her.

And knowing that, Harry doesn’t even have to wonder if he and Louis will keep texting on the third night the show is on, when Lily’s Blind Audition will finally air.

Everybody’s already in the living room when the show is about to start. This time, they opted to forgo dinner to watch it stuffing themselves with popcorn – Gemma and Michal sharing a big bucket, while Anne, Lily and Harry each one had small bowls for themselves.

The commercials before The Voice are on and Harry’s distracted talking to Michal about the lady who went to the bakery that morning almost buying their entire supply of cupcakes for her daughter’s tea party with her friends, when his phone buzzes just like it had the previous nights, and Harry knew it was going to be Louis even before checking the device.

His mobile is turned face down on the arm of the sofa and Harry only expects it to buzz once with the message, but when it keeps vibrating, Harry’s a bit confused, because it means it’s not a text notification.

He turns his phone around to see an incoming Facetime call from Louis and for a second he’s taken aback, not knowing if he should take it or not.

“Mate, are you gonna keep him waiting?” Michal asks, giving him a raised brow and Harry notices he’s been staring at his phone for longer than it’s necessary to answer the call.

Obviously he won’t ignore Louis. He’s just surprised Louis is calling at all, wondering if he somehow has miscalled him instead of texting.

He finally pushes the answering button and the screen shows Louis’ face on the other side, sporting a wide grin on it.

“Hello there, Styles. Was I interrupting something?” Louis asks teasingly.

The voice echoes around the living room, making everyone turn their attention to Harry. Gemma, Anne and Lily were excitedly talking among themselves as Gemma came to sit on the floor to play with Lily, but now Lily’s curious eyes are prying over Harry’s phone as she gets up to sit on the couch again and extends her neck to check what’s going on.

“Is that Louis?!” She asks perkily before Harry can even answer Louis properly.

“Yeah, hi Lils! It’s me!” Louis answers, laughing. “How are you doing, love?”

“I’m great, thanks! Today’s my episode on the show, Louis! Are you gonna watch it?” She has now gotten closer to Harry on the couch, leaning herself on his arm to make sure she’s on the screen so Louis can see her.

“Why do you think I called?” Louis smiles only grows and he winks at her. “I thought it would be a great opportunity to see your dad’s face getting embarrassed in real time by seeing himself get embarrassed on the telly, how about that?”

Lily laughs, which earns everyone else’s laughter too and Harry can’t deny there’s a bubble of happiness growing inside him for seeing Louis’ face and the way he’s talking to Lily. But also, he wants to hang up on Louis’ face right there for taking the piss out of him.

“How about I hang up on your face?” He voices his thoughts, trying to sound serious, but not being able to keep a straight face.

“Oh, Harry, dear,” Anne chuckles from Lily’s other side. “We all want to see that again.”

He can’t believe he’s being betrayed by his family, once again, because of that.

“Let me remind you all that we are here to watch the show because of Lily, not because of me.” He rolls his eyes fondly and Louis laughs on the screen.

“But we can’t deny that will be a plus, c’mon, Harry. I personally didn’t get to see the full thing, I think it will be very entertaining.”

“I’ve seen it from up close and honestly, I’d watch it again a hundred more times,” Gemma says, going back to her place beside her husband on the loveseat.

Harry only sends her a dreadful glare, which she returns with poking her tongue out at him playfully. Michal laughs at their antics, kissing Gemma on the cheek.

“I’m with Louis, dad! I didn’t see it either.” Lily’s voice catches Harry’s attention again and when he looks back at his daughter, she has a mischievous smile on her face.

“You were responsible for all of that, young lady!” Harry replies, poking her on the belly, which makes her let out a giggle. “I think for that only, we should all cancel watching the show and I should put you to bed right now.” He jokes and Lily pouts innocently.

“C’mon, H. Don’t be harsh on her,” Louis speaks, shaking his head, “if anything, it’s my fault. I instigated the whole thing,” he laughs and Harry knows that Louis doesn’t regret having done it not even one bit. “Are you really gonna hang up on me?”

Of course Harry won’t hang up on Louis, he’d never.

“Only if you promise to keep your banter at bay.” Harry gives him a pointed look, trying to sound and look put out and not actually flirty, since he’s surrounded by his family and knows they are very well paying attention to their interaction.

“That will depend on how bad your face will look on the telly.” Louis winks once again, this time more privately at Harry, and Harry can’t help but shake his head as he laughs.

“Guess I’ve signed up for that myself then,” he replies, accepting that he will be mocked for that forever, by his family, and also Louis apparently.

“You okay with me calling to watch the show with you guys, then?” Louis asks, the joking tone gone, looking a bit concerned.

Harry can’t tell Louis how happy he is to have him calling, to know that Louis wanted to be part of that with Harry and his family without letting it know that if he could, he would have Louis in person there with them. He’s more than okay with that.

“Of course, Louis, yeah. You’re very welcome to join us,” Harry says, softly, making sure to make Louis comfortable with being surrounded by his own family.

“I can’t wait for you to see what we filmed here at home, Louis.” Lily jumps in the conversation again and Harry’s glad for that, otherwise he’s pretty sure his smile at Louis would soon turn into hearty eyes at the man on the other side of the screen.

“I’m very excited to see that, Lils! And look, the show’s about to start, let’s keep an eye when you’ll show up then.”

Louis smiles at Lily and she nods, showing him a thumbs up before she gets her bowl of popcorn to herself again, grabbing a handful of it and putting it all inside her mouth.

Everyone, including Louis, laughs at that before bringing their attention to the TV (Louis, of course, to his own at his place over the phone).

At first, Harry thinks it could be weird to have Louis on the phone, thinking that they would be silently watching the show, thinking that his mother, Gemma and Michal would be maybe self concerned to make the comments they usually do while the auditions go on. It turns out that Louis is the one who starts talking first, speaking as if he and Harry were still texting each other, commenting on the auditions and what it’s like to find out more about the kid who’s singing, if he was expecting the boy or girl to choose him or either Pixie and Danny as their coaches. Harry’s family interacts with him as if he’s really there with them, they keep joking around and Lily keeps being her entertaining self as usual, squealing every time there’s a glimpse of her in the waiting lounge talking to other contestants. Everybody’s endeared by that, Louis keeps saying how excited she looked on that day and Harry feels like he could get used to that. If Louis was really there, they would all get along so well it warms his heart to think about it.

The episode is already 30 minutes in when Lily’s part starts. They had just watched a girl called Phoenix, who didn’t get a turn from any of the coaches. Louis doesn’t have to explain the reason why he didn’t pick that girl this time, because the conversation he has with Danny and Pixie after they talk to the girl says it all, and it immediately leads to the show introducing Lily, just as Pixie is saying “Let’s hope this one brings that extra thing, then.”

“Ah, look, Dad, it’s me!” Lily exclaims, as she sits straight on the edge the sofa, almost as if she wants to be right in front of the TV to watch herself.

“Yes, petal!” Harry gives her a kiss on her temple and quickly glances at Louis on the phone, which he’s holding with one hand against the arm of the couch, so Louis can get a view from him and Lily watching the show.

“Let’s see what the Styles family brought to the show,” Louis jokes as Harry can notice his eyes are focused not on the phone, but on his own TV.

On the screen, Lily appears walking onto the stage, but before she starts singing, they cut to a clip from her interview backstage.

“My name’s Lily, I’m eight, I’m from Manchester and I love singing more than anything, it’s always been part of my life.” Lily’s smile is so big and genuine it makes Harry’s heart burst with love for his daughter.

They show her shortly in her bedroom, a footage they got when the producers came to interview them back at their house. She’s jumping up and down with her toy microphone, pretending to be singing. Then, Anne appears on the telly and Harry looks at his mother briefly sitting on the couch, sharing a soft smile with her.

“Lily actually gets her singing talent from her dad, they are two peas in a pod,” his mother says to the camera. It cuts to another footage of now Harry along with Lily in her bedroom, singing along with her.

“They got you to do that?” Louis asks laughing lightly.

“There are far worse things for me to be embarrassed about than to be singing with my daughter in her bedroom, which happens more often than never, believe me,” Harry replies, ignoring Louis’ teasing.

“My dad has already been on a singing competition before,” Lily from the telly says and Harry almost feels a cold sweat break, already aware that they will show a clip from him on the X-Factor, as they had asked his permission to use the footage. “He’s the one who’s taught me how to sing and I love to do it with him, wherever we are. Specially at his bakery.”

Then it’s Harry’s turn to be on the screen, from the day of the Blinds and he seriously wants to hide away so he doesn’t have to see himself talk on the TV.

“I’m a baker now and Lily is always a joy to have around, because she’s always singing and people love to hear her voice.” Harry listens and watches himself talking, remembering what was like to give that interview. “We could’ve had a different life had I gone through the X-Factor when I was sixteen.” They then show a quick footage of Harry’s audition in front of Simon Cowell, Louis Walsh and Nicole Sherzinger.

“Oh, there you are,” Louis quips, “that’s the  curly boy I remember.”

Harry can’t say he isn’t blushing at the moment, knowing that the Harry from that footage was about to have his life changed and also, in a matter of days, meet eighteen-year-old Louis.

“But as I didn’t, now we have Lily following in my footsteps, even though I think it’s hard to say if she loves more singing or baking with me,” Harry laughs on the screen and they cut to another footage, this time of Harry and Lily inside their bakery, where Harry had prepared a cake and Lily is helping him with the icing.

“What a team!” TV Harry says to Lily, who giggles and high fives him as they finish the cake.

“Aw, that’s cute!” Louis points out and Harry takes another glance at him, to see the man with a fond face, scrunching up his nose and crinkled eyes.

He then turns the attention back to the show, where Lily’s speaking again.

“I love singing everywhere, I love going to the bakery and helping my dad, my auntie and grandma.”

Anne’s back on the screen along with Harry this time. “She’s a bundle of energy, everywhere she goes, she lights up the room whenever she starts singing, captivating everyone with her talent.”

“If she wants to be a singer, I’ll totally support her. It’s not because I gave that up that she’s shouldn’t go after it. She loves it and I’m amazed by how talented she is. I just want her to do whatever makes her happy, and be whoever she wants to be,” Harry says this time and he can’t deny he gets emotional to see himself talking about his own daughter. Lily then looks up at him, with the most adorable smile, her green eyes so sparkly.

“I love you, dad,” she tells him in a very low tone, only for him to hear, as she kisses him on the cheek.

“I love you too, petal.” He returns the gesture, smiling to himself, so proud of the little girl he can call his own.

“Singing makes me very happy, I know I could do it for a long time. But I also like helping my dad at the bakery, but if I’m honest, sometimes I wish I was an astronaut, but who knows. Right now, I’m just super excited to be here on The Voice!” The Lily on the screen giggles openly, shrugging nonchalantly, which makes everyone in the living room, and also Louis on the other side of Harry’s phone, coo and laugh at her.

Her Blind Audition then starts and her performance goes exactly how Harry remembers it. He gets emotional and proud all over again, but this time, he gets to see Louis’ face lighting up as he hears the first notes of _I Want To Write You A Song_ before not waiting long to turn for Lily. It appears Louis never lied when he said he fell in love with Lily’s voice from the first moment he heard her singing. His expression and how amazed he is by her is everything Harry needs to be even more sure that Louis adores Lily genuinely, and has since then, done everything to help her because of how much he believes in her talent.

“She was great, wasn’t she?” Louis’ voice calls Harry’s attention to turn to his phone again.

“Yup,” Harry says very softly, glancing quickly at his daughter, who seems mesmerized by watching herself on TV. “Thank you for turning for her.” Harry tries to say, but making sure that only Louis gets it as he brings his phone closer to his face.

“I’m the one who has to thank her for choosing me and letting me have the opportunity to work with her, to know her and you, to have all of this.”

Harry tries to ignore how Louis’ words hit him deeply. He knows that a lot wouldn’t have happened if Lily hadn’t been on Louis’ team. If he’s being honest with himself, he can’t deny that he’s happy that everything turned out the way it did, be it because of Louis, Lily, fate or whatever.

Her performance is over and Anne, Gemma and Michal congratulate her. Harry watches as Anne squeezes her into a tight cuddle, making Lily giggle.

“Save the giggles for when your dad’s on the telly covering his face, Lilipad,” Gemma provokes Harry, giving him a smug smile.

He rolls his eyes and shows her his tongue, discreetly giving her the V-sign without his mother noticing.

They all go back to paying attention to the TV as Lily keeps talking to Pixie and then to Louis and before Harry knows it, his face is the center of attention – or better, the way he’s trying to hide his face is.

“What a great first impression you’ve made, Curly,” Louis jokes and Harry ignores him for the sake of it. He actually tries to ignore himself on the screen as everyone keeps making fun of him again, even Michal, who he hoped would’ve been a tad sympathetic with him, but no. His sister has truly corrupted the lad.

When Lily finally says that she chooses Louis to be her coach, Harry gives Louis a glance on the phone to see how happy the other man looks.

“That was great choice, Lily,” Louis teases and Lily brings her face closer to the phone so Louis can see her on the screen.

“I’m very happy about it! Pixie was so nice to me, but I couldn’t chose anyone else!”

Louis opens a wide smile at her. “I’d feel betrayed if you had!”

“Harry would too!” Gemma chimes in, shouting from her spot beside her husband.

“Shush it!” Harry’s had enough of his sister’s banter for the night and can’t contain himself from throwing a cushion at her.

“Oh my, you two are worse than your eight year old, Harry, please stop. What will Louis think?” Anne calls them out, sounding a bit stern, but Harry knows that his mother doesn’t actually mind how they pick on each other.

“Don’t mind me, I’m very entertained by all of this. Me and my sisters were worse, Anne, believe me,” Louis laughs and Anne rolls her eyes fondly at that.

They continue watching the remaining of the episode and Harry stays on the phone with Louis until the end, which only keeps the night fun as they comment on the show, joke and laugh together.

Harry is more than happy to have Louis’ company that night. It’s different from when they’d only text, of course, and to have him interacting with his family so freely, as if they all belong together like that, it keeps Harry thinking what would be like if he just gave in to his feelings and decided to give him and Louis a chance despite of everything.

He tries not to let himself get too caught up on those thoughts as the next days roll in and he still has his family watching the show every night with him and he and Louis continue texting each other during the last of the Blinds episodes and both Battles ones.

It’s been a great few days but Harry can’t deny his excitement about Friday, when he and Lily will be going to London because of the studio rehearsals for the Live Finals. Harry wants to know what Lily’s performance will be like and he’s curious to know which song all the contestants will be singing and performing with the coaches. If he’s being really honest with himself, though, the one thing he can’t stop thinking about and looking forward is to finally meeting Louis again.

When Harry and Lily make it to London, it feels like the day goes by too fast, with so many things she needs to do and rehearse. Harry barely has time to process anything that’s going on.

He and Louis had talked through texts when they were on the train on their way to London, but once they arrived at the studio facilities it’s become almost impossible to get ahold of him. They greet each other when it’s Lily’s turn to rehearse but they can’t have a proper chat since Louis is all over the place afterwards. Lily goes backstage with Louis to know about their big performance and Harry only sees them again when all six finalists along with Louis, Danny Jones and Pixie Lott are on stage again for the final rehearsal.

That’s when he finds out they’ll be singing _You’re My Best Friend_ from Queen. It’s such a great song, it fits the kids singing together so well, they seem to have great fun performing with the coaches and Harry’s sure it will be even more brilliant at the show.

Harry observes Lily and how she looks to be in her element singing like that and it fuels his heart, he can’t stop being so proud of his daughter to see her so happy, doing something she likes so much. It also makes him feel relieved for all the worrying he had before, unsure if Lily was truly content with being on the show. Watching her now, he can see that whatever was making her anxious about the whole experience, about wanting only to make Harry proud, now is not concerning her anymore. And Harry thinks he has a lot to thank and give credit to Louis for that, for helping him deal with the situation and help Lily understand that what matters is that she’s having the time of her life and that she only has to be proud of how far she’s come.

And seeing Louis there on stage, so charismatic with the kids, looking so good, also looking completely comfortable in his element as he performs, it becomes harder for Harry to ignore everything he feels for the man. He has tried to tuck it away, he truly has, but all this past week has showed him is that he can’t pretend his feelings for Louis aren’t strong, aren’t always at the back of his mind and that he doesn’t want to have more of Louis in his life.

Being only friends with Louis just for the sake of protecting Lily and her participation on the show has seemed pointless. It’s clear there’s more than that between them even when they talk lightly, even when they only joke with no hidden pretence behind their words. Louis has made his way through Harry’s life, has made it clear that he’s not going anywhere, and to think that there’s a possibility that Harry might push him away for ignoring what they could’ve had, Harry’s sure he doesn’t want to go through the feeling of losing Louis again.

Louis is a very difficult person to ignore. It’s very hard not to want to only watch him and admire what he’s like. He’s charismatic, he’s captivating, he has a light of his own that makes Harry want to dive in and bask in it. The way he helps and guides his finalists, being funny and thoughtful with them, it makes everything more intense for Harry and if Harry didn’t let himself admit it, now he’s completely sure he’s fallen in love with Louis.

He already admired Louis so much, after being a fan for so long, but now he knows Louis is someone who is worth everything and deserves nothing more than all the happiness he brings to everyone around back at him.

And Harry wants to be that source of happiness in Louis’ life, somehow. He knows where Louis stands and he knows it would take Harry to say the word and he and Louis could have so much more than they do now.

It’s everything Harry’s been dreaming about, but he has to control himself and keep it all under wraps, even if it has been proven to be quite the task with Louis right in front of him, throwing him small smiles and soft glances. He needs to be strong, at least for now. Not only for him, but also for Lily.

She’s the one who needs his focus and love at the moment. Tomorrow won’t be an easy day, and if he can go through it, whatever the outcome is with the reveal of the winner of the show, then he can figure out the rest.

 

*****

 

“You’ve been so amazing, girls. You’ve made me really proud of how much you’ve grown and improved since the beginning of the show,” Louis says to Serenna and Lily as they are backstage waiting for their cue to head to the stage one last time for the announcement of the voting results. Louis has both girls on either side holding his hands and even with all the commotion going on around them – the producers making sure everything is in place and running on time, Pixie talking with her finalists Davis and Amanda, as well as Danny with his own Henry and Debbie – the girls seem to be looking at Louis as some sort of anchor, some sort of reassurance that everything will be alright before the final verdict of who’s the winner.

That’s all he’s been trying to do the whole day, if he’s honest. He knows how stressful this is for the finalists and he only wants to make sure his team knows that they’ve done their best so far, that they’ve made not only Louis and their families proud, but also themselves – that’s the most important thing Louis always tries to remind them. And as much as he’s a ball of nerves himself, he focus on getting the girls the most comfortable and relaxed as possible.

That Saturday, just like all his previous Final experiences on the show, Louis is ecstatic and he barely remembers how his day has started, being in the studio since very early in the morning, making all the last arrangements with the production team, recording final clips for the live show, making sure the props, lights and sound for their main performance with the finalists and for the girls’ performances as well are all on set. His day goes by in a blur, the last rehearsals with Lily and Serenna go perfectly and he talks with their families and relatives, who have come down to London to watch the show from the audience and who are all too excited to see their talented little girls do well and anxious at the same time about the outcome of the show.

Besides paying attention to his own acts, Louis also knows he has to reassure their families,  and he would be lying if he says he’s not particularly worried about the state of one parent in special. Louis has been looking forward to talking to Harry in person again since the moment he saw Harry the day before. Unfortunately, though, he still doesn’t have the time to pay him proper attention.

Louis just hasn’t found a break in his schedule to really talk to Harry about anything else in person other than the show and Lily. They exchanged a few texts the previous night and Louis had sent him one that morning wishing him and Lily to have a great day, that he’s cheering for her and believes so much in her potential. And then, when he’d finally met them at the ITV facilities, it was to see them surrounded by the rest of the Styles family – Gemma’s husbands, Harry’s aunt, uncle and some of their cousins, as well as a few close family friends. Despite the excitement of the encounter, the amusement in Lily’s face to see her whole family there to support her, all of them wearing t-shirts that had “Team Lily” printed on them (which Louis found so adorable, even more with Harry’s remark that “mum wouldn’t let this opportunity pass. She did the same for me on the X-Factor, of course she had to do it for Lily too, specially at her own request.”), Louis could feel the tension that rested around them, most noticeable in Harry.

Before they all headed to the audience to let Lily go with him backstage, Louis managed to pull Harry aside for a second, to give him a few words of comfort, even though knowing that there wasn’t much he could say to calm him down. He had to do it, though, had to tell him, once again for the hundredth time, that Lily’s one of the best kids he has worked with and that she deserves the best, whatever the result is, and that Harry has done an amazing job with her.

Harry returned his words, saying that he’s so thankful for everything Louis has done for Lily, and that she wouldn’t be where she is now without his help. Louis could see the way Harry’s eyes sparkled and showed him a more relieved expression to hear those words coming from Louis and all Louis had wanted to do was hug him, to let him know that everything will be okay, to make sure Harry wouldn’t be a nervous wreck for the rest of the night. He refrains himself from doing so in front of everybody, but only for the time being. Later, there’ll be time, be it either to celebrate or to comfort him.

Louis doesn’t let his mind linger on those thoughts for long as he’s pulled backstage to work with the girls, and later to have his hair, makeup and outfit done for the night – going with black brogue shoes, rolled up black jeans, a black tailored jacket adorned with a small polka dotted handkerchief in its pocket over a simple plain white tee, and his hair styled in a swirl-like quiff – and sooner than he realises, it’s already show time and he’s about to go on stage to perform _You’re My Best Friend_ as the opening act of the live show.

From then on, things go just as scripted – the finalists perform one after the other, delivering such incredible presentations that go beyond the coaches’ expectations. The singers are all so amazing, Louis is very impressed by Pixie’s and Danny’s finalists, but he is also obviously very proud of his own acts.

Serenna’s performance is beautiful, matching Christina Aguilera’s _Beautiful_ so well, giving it an ethereal and soothing aesthetic that only gets better with the way the girls sings the song, with such emotion and serenity.

Lily’s _Paradise_ version is something else entirely. She turns the song into something of her own, with props around her so delicate and alluding to dreams and fairy tales lands. It’s the most Lily thing he has seen from any of her previous performances, and might Louis say, it’s her best one.

If it were up to him, modesty aside, he knows he’d choose one of his girls to win, but as it’s not on him anymore, all he can do is praise them for the outstanding work and dedication they’ve put into their performances and wait, after the votes are open, for the audience at home to have loved them as much as everyone in the studios did and also for luck to be on their side.

That’s the nerve wrecking part of the show, Louis reckons, because even if they manage to be distracted by the guests performances – tonight from Little Mix in between the finalists performances, and Ed Sheeran right before the votes close – Louis knows that everyone is apprehensive about what’s to come.

And as they all wait backstage while the commercial break is still on, along with Pixie and Danny and their finalists, that’s how Louis finds himself giving his girls one last pep talk before the long awaited results are in.

“We can only hope everybody at home noticed it and has been captivated by you, not only today, but since throughout this week watching the show,” he continues, giving them a comforting and encouraging smile, “and even if it turns out that tonight you’re not the winner, girls, you just have to believe that you are already winners in your own lives, and that this is only the beginning for you, if all of this,” he indicates with his head to their surroundings, “is what you want to keep doing.”

Serenna smiles at him, that shy small turn of her lips. Lily has her bright green eyes still focused on Louis, her cheeks with a bit of red blush on them.

“Also, let’s not forget that you’re not gonna leave tonight actually losing anything. You all will be going to Disneyland Paris, so I think that’s already a massive win,” he jokes, reminding them of the collective prize all the finalists have won as a way to release the tension and make them more relaxed before going up on stage.

“I’m really looking forward to that now,” Lily says, giggling, not nervously, but really out of joyness.

“That’s a great reward for all the hard work you’ve done these past six months, innit?” Louis instigates, keeping the light mood.

“Definitely, it’s gonna be a real adventure. Not that this hasn’t been, but, yeah, that’s gonna be so fun,” Serenna replies softly, delight written all over her face.

“This has been a hell of an adventure for you and I’m glad I was part of this ride with you, loves. Now, let’s have a cuddle before we go on stage.” He pulls both girls closer, letting go of their hands to envelope them in his arms.

They squeeze him tightly and Louis hears Lily saying “thank you, Louis, you’re the best coach”, followed by Serenna’s “I’m so happy and grateful for everything you’ve done.”

As soon as they let go, Louis tries to keep his eyes from tearing up for how much he adores these girls. Now is not the time to get emotional as Jo informs that Emma Willis is about to go live again and is just a minute away from calling them.

“Now, it's time to find out who you have chosen as the winner of The Voice Kids 2022, so please welcome back our six incredibly talented finalists and their coaches.”

They hear Emma through the speakers and Jo positions them in order to walk on stage.

“Danny with Debbie and Henry.” The three of them follow Jo’s instructions, going closer to Emma and standing by the stage on her right side.

“Pixie with Amanda and Davis.” Pixie gives Louis and the girls a cheeky wink before taking her finalists in her hands and walking to stand right beside Danny in the middle of the stage.

“And Louis with Seranna and Lily.”

“Now’s the time, girls. Remember, I’m really proud of you, no matter what. You’ve been absolutely amazing,” Louis tells them as he places his hands over Lily’s and Serenna’s shoulders, leading them on stage to stand by Pixie’s team side.

“Our finalists, everybody!” Emma announces when everybody is in their rightful positions.

Louis faces the crowd, feeling the thrill and anticipation this moment always brings him. It’s his sixth time going through this experience and he still feels weak in the knees, no matter how much he’s tried to conceal his nervousness from the girls so as not let them see how apprehensive he’s gotten throughout the day. He can’t even imagine what’s going on through their minds as they see everybody looking at them, specially their families right there, cheering loudly for each one of them.

He quickly spots Harry and Lily’s family in the audience and tries to smile, but he’s so edgy it’s hard to enjoy the sight of the people he’s grown to care for so dearly. Suddenly, then, he feels Lily placing one of her arms around his middle, taking a step closer to Louis and it melts his heart as much as it breaks it, because he’s sure he’d give this precious little girl the world if he could, he’d go to the ends of the earth to make sure she’d never feel sad or disappointed again. He squeezes his hand on her shoulder a little bit, then running it up and down her arm gently, trying to convey with the gesture that he’s there for her, that he won’t leave her side, not now and, he hopes, not soon enough. His jaw is clenched and he knows he has a tense expression on, but he takes a second to look again towards where Harry’s standing and to spot the man with a bright smile on his face, despite what can happen next, is enough to help Louis think that everything that has happened and that will, is worth it.

“You all have been absolutely wonderful, thank you so much for taking part in the show,” Emma continues, now looking across the stage to address the finalists, “but only one of these guys can win the title and the prize – a massive 30 thousand pounds towards their music education.” She turns to the camera, reminding the audience of the big prize of the night. Then, the lights on stage shift for the results, completely changing the atmosphere in the studio, as it seems everybody has gone quiet, holding their breaths. Louis holds Lily and Serenna closer to him, noticing how nervous both girls are as they seek his embrace for any form of security and consolation.

The tension and also the adrenaline take over the studio as Emma finally reveals what everyone’s been waiting for.

“This is it, the results are in. I can now announce the winner of this year's The Voice Kids is… Davis!”

The studio explodes with confetti and on-stage fog effects, and loud roars and cheers coming from the audience.

Louis can barely register what’s going on before everybody is moving closer to Pixie, seeking Davis to congratulate him. Serenna and Lily go along with Henry, Debbie and Amanda to give him a big group hug, almost engulfing the boy between their arms.

“Congratulations, Davis!” Emma tries to open way to talk to him and that’s when Louis can finally take a look at the boy’s face. The awe on his face is priceless, it’s one expression Louis doesn’t get tired of seeing in every kid who has won the show before. “How are you feeling?” Emma pulls Davis aside to get a reaction out of him, but the boy is baffled. He’s crying nonstop he can’t even speak.

Pixie comforts him and Louis takes the opportunity to pat him on the back and tell him his congratulations even though he’s sure Davis is not even processing what anyone around him is saying.

“You’ve done amazing, lad. Well done!”

Danny is right beside Louis, trying to speak with Davis as well while the other finalists are trying to get ahold of him again as Emma is now speaking to the cameras and the audience, saying her farewell and goodnight to end the show.

There’s a mix of things going on inside Louis’ mind. He’s extremely happy for Davis, how could he not be? He’s been an extraordinary singer since the beginning, who lacked a little of self confidence but that had a great voice and huge potential to grow in the competition, which he did and happened to deliver an unforgettable Final performance of _This Is Me_ from The Greatest Showman.

All six singers deserved to win, Louis knows that. Still, he can’t help but feel a little disappointed that his girls didn’t make it. He’s the one who’s told them time and time again how it shouldn’t matter if they won or not, and that’s the most absolute true. Yet, he can’t deny he’d be feeling even more overjoyed had it been Lily or Serenna.

The feeling, though, doesn’t stay for longer as he looks at them and see that they don’t seem upset about not winning. They are too excited, hugging each other and the other finalists too. That puts a smile on Louis’ face again at last. If anything, now Louis knows his job has been done correctly and that the girls have listened to him. The only thing he had truly wished for that night was to be sure that Lily and Serenna were happy, and to be able to watch them completely euphoric, specially for someone else, that’s all the reward Louis needs.

Louis goes to them again after they seem to have calmed down a bit from all the commotion to pull them into a hug.

“I’m not quite done telling you how proud I am, my darlings.” The girls giggle as they hug him back. “And you should be really, really proud of yourselves. You know this doesn’t have to be the end, it’s only the beginning for you! You are all winners for me.”

“Thank you, Louis!” Serenna says, opening the brightest and broadest smile Louis has ever seen on her face. “I know I won’t quit, thank you for helping me feel so much more confident. I’m so sure this is what I want to do.”

That’s one of the things that makes Louis always come back to this job, that makes him always eager to know and work with such amazing kids.

“No need to thank me, love. That was all on you, you’ve had it in yourself all along!” He tells her as she distances herself and Lily also takes a step back, looking at Louis with more adoration than he has ever seen in those big green eyes.

“I’m so happy, Louis!” She exclaims, smile so wide Louis can spot her dimples, just like her dad’s.

“Then I’m ever happier for you, Lils! You’ve done incredibly well, love.” He manages to hug her again, actually taking her in his arms and lifting her up a bit.

“I hope Dad is happy too,” Lily says against Louis’ neck as she holds him tightly.

At that moment, Louis spots all the families coming onto the stage to meet their children and it’s not hard to see Harry, followed by Anne, Gemma and her husband, coming towards them.

“Oh, I’m sure he is.”

Louis can notice from Harry’s reddened and puffy eyes that he’s been crying, but the proud smile he’s sporting shows that it’s not out of sadness, not at all.

He lets got of Lily the moment Harry approaches them and she instantly turns to her father’s arms.

Harry can barely say anything as he starts crying again, squeezing Lily in. It becomes a little too much for Louis, so he takes his eyes from them otherwise he’s sure he’s gonna start crying too. He looks at Anne, who has the softest smile of her face, as well as teary eyes. Gemma and her husband Michal are by her side, hugging each other by the waist, watching Harry and Lily with such sweet and endearing expressions.

The urge to say something, to talk to Harry and ask how he’s feeling is interrupted by Jo, who’s apparently been on stage awhile, gathering everybody to give instructions on what to do next. She pulls Louis aside to talk to him, Pixie and Danny about the after party, which will be held in a special room at the studios. She needs them back at their dressing rooms so the production can start clearing the studio from the audience, and so before Louis has the chance to properly talk to the Styles family, he’s heading off the stage.

He doesn’t get frustrated or anything, because he knows he’ll be seeing them again at the party soon. It might be chaotic, it might not be the best time or place to finally have a chat in person with Harry, but after everything that has happened in the last couple of days with the show (and also in the last months with them), it feels like they have so much to catch up, Louis has so much to say to Harry and knows Harry has a lot to tell him too.

It’s clear, as Louis glances one last time at the Styles family before he steps off of the stage, that Harry’s completely overjoyed and he knows that he’s glad for everything that’s happened with Lily on the show. He just needs to hear it from Harry himself, and if he can, he’d like to tell him again how happy he is that he’s got to meet Lily and him, and that he and Harry have found their way into each other’s lives again.

Moreover, he’d just like to make Harry and Lily even happier, if Harry will allow him. He doesn’t know how that will go, but if he doesn’t try, he’ll never forgive himself. He just has to be brave enough to do what he has in mind.

He hopes he is.

He hopes that for Harry, he is ready for anything.

 

*

 

“Go have fun with your friends, petal. You deserve it,” Harry tells Lily as soon as they arrive at the hall inside the studio facilities where the producers of the show have prepared a wrap up party for the finalists, their families, the hosts, the special guests and the whole crew to celebrate the winner of the show and also the incredible journey the contestants have been through.

Not only are the last six finalists there, but also some of the kids who have been in the competition since the Blind Auditions, so the room is full of people talking to each other – the parents trying to have some time with the coaches to thank them and the kids playing and dancing around with each other as a DJ gets the party in motion.

Harry watches as Lily runs towards the rest of the kids group and he can’t fathom everything he’s been feeling since the end of the show. He only managed to stop crying a few moments before because Gemma had told him to pull himself together at last.

Obviously he had hopes for Lily to be the winner, everybody in his family did just as all the other families were cheering for their own child. The reveal of the results, though, didn’t change how Harry was feeling about Lily since the day she started on the competition, in fact it only made it stronger. The adrenaline of the day, the anticipation and excitement to see her performing, to see Louis again praising her and being as sweet as always, helped intensify everything for Harry. He couldn’t help himself feel the proudest he has ever been of his daughter, thinking of everything they’ve been through over the past six months, seeing how much she had grown and developed in the competition, and also as her own self.

His crying was a mix of every emotion he had bottled up, but mostly, it was pure happiness that Lily had been part of something so special and that the experience was so rich for her. It was exhilarating to see his daughter on stage, hugging Davis after he was announced the winner, to see that she was truly happy for him, not one ounce of disappointment or sadness on her face.

And so, to hold her in his arms and to tell her again and again that he loved her and that he was so proud of her, Harry became a mess. He is a sap and emotional father, he knows that and he didn’t care that everybody else was watching him or that they’d judge him for that. If anything, he has already embarrassed himself enough on the show, so crying now because of the sheer joy he was feeling was nothing he’d have to worry about. Also, his whole family was there basically, and they know exactly how he is in situations like that, and it’s not as if Gemma hadn’t been teasing him already, or that his mother wouldn’t be there to comfort him, so nothing different from how things usually are when everybody’s together.

Although, Harry can’t deny one thing could be different. Or at least he wished it had been.

The whole day, besides being a nervous wreck because of Lily’s performance, there it was, in the back of his head, the thought of wanting to have some time to talk to Louis. He knew it would be impossible and he wished talking more than once to him or seeing him properly a few more times over the rehearsals and during the show would help him feel more settled.

It didn’t though, but Harry had his family by his side, which helped him forget about Louis for a while, and when the winner was announced, there wasn’t any other thought in Harry’s mind other than to get to Lily. As soon as he stepped on stage and got her in his arms, everything else disappeared. It was as though it was only him and his daughter, nothing and nobody else around them.

He was aware that Louis had been talking to Lily just moments before and he could feel his blue eyes watching them, but he couldn’t force himself to do anything else but hold Lily and cry some more. When Harry opened his eyes again, Louis wasn’t around anymore and it dawned on him how much he wanted a word from the other man or a compassionate hug.

After collecting himself and letting his family and friends talk to Lily too, and being directed to the party, Harry decided it’s best to just let himself enjoy the moment. At the right time, he and Louis would be able to talk again.

Now, as he watches the party unfolding in front of him, he doesn’t believe it will be that easy with so many people seeking Louis and being around him.

His whole family has a table for them and the rest of his relatives and friends they invited to come are at a close one just beside them. Gemma and Michal are mingling on the dancefloor and Anne is by Harry’s side, watching Lily with him. He’s enjoying the party, he has already talked to some of the other parents, congratulated Davis on his win, told the other finalists how he loved their performances, and if he can admit, he’s been paying attention to who’s talking to Louis and how the man has an open and genuine smile with anyone who approaches him, giving them his full attention.

He is distracted for a moment as a waitress comes by and offers him a drink, and while he’s deciding on a beer or to keep it simple with a soft drink, Lily appears right in front of him. Her hair is already a mess and she has her cheeks flushing for all the running and dancing around.

“Dad, will you come dance with me? You can’t stay sitting here all night, c’mon!” She has barely finished asking him and she’s already pulling him by the hand. Harry startles as he had finally chosen his beverage and was about to take a gulp when Lily forces him to get up.

“I don’t think I have much of a choice,” he jokes as he places his glass on the table.

Anne lets out a chuckle as she watches them. “You deserve to have some fun with your daughter. Go, dear,” she tells him with a soft smile.

“I’m coming for you later too, Grandma!” Lily chirps as she drags Harry away from the table and they end up on the dancefloor where people are dancing cheerfully. They come to a stop close to Gemma and Michal and when he sees his sister winking at Lily, he understands that they might have decided together that it was time for Harry to come join them (or, as he’d rather believe, that it was time they wanted to see him embarrass himself).

Again, Harry doesn’t care about that. He’s just happy to be enjoying the party and the time with his family and Lily there, who’s a pocket full of energy and glee around everyone.

Harry dances with her and it doesn’t take long for them, Gemma and Michal to start making some funny moves together and to start laughing at their own silliness. They are so entertained by each other that Harry almost misses someone calling his name. It’s just when he feels a hand on his shoulder that he turns around to see that Louis is right there behind him, wearing that bright and crinkly-eyed smile.

“Having a bit fun here, are we, Styles?” Louis says looking from Harry to Lily with such fondness Harry thinks his heart might leap out of his chest.

“Come dance with us, Louis!” Lily doesn’t wait for Louis’ reply and just like she had done with Harry, she pulls Louis by his hand, making him stand inside the circle they had made among themselves.

“I’m afraid it’s best to leave the sick moves only to your dad here, he’s been great from what I’ve seen. I don’t wanna steal his spotlight.” It’s clear Louis is joking as he scrunches up his nose and winks at Harry.

“Heeey,” Harry protests, but not in a hurtful way. “If I remember correctly, some years ago you had said my freestyle dance was very nice.” Harry teases, recalling the time at bootcamp Louis commented on his dancing skills. That time had felt a lot like some kind of flirting Harry wasn’t so sure about. Right now, though, he thinks he knows exactly what Louis is doing.

“If anything, the freestyle has only developed into the dad style,” Gemma joins the banter and Harry shakes his head dismissively at her.

“But now she’s said it,” Michal adds, laughing slightly at the exchange.

“Alright, I see how this is then. I came out here to have a good time and I’m honestly feeling so attacked right now. I hate you all.” Harry tries to sound put out and offended, making a motion to leave the dance floor, but he knows his face breaks the moment Lily takes his hand in hers.

“Don’t go, Dad, you are an amazing dancer! The best! You dance as well as you sing,” she says, but Harry knows she’s only trying to butter him up.

He can’t contain himself from laughing. “Thanks, petal, that’s really uplifting,” he winks at her, “I’m glad I have at least one person on my side, even if that’s not entirely true,” he bends down to leave a kiss on her cheek, making her giggle. “But I really think I might use a glass of water right now,” he considers, feeling a bit tired from the dancing, but also, hoping that maybe Louis will catch the cue to come talk to him, if that’s why he has come over to them in the first place.

Lily pouts sadly but lets go of his hand nonetheless. Gemma smiles cheekily at him, sending him a discreet wink as she turns her attention to Lily to keep her entertained as they continue dancing.

“Do you mind if I come with you?” Louis asks, following Harry as he starts walking away.

“Not at all,” Harry answers, trying not to feel too smug for being correct on his assumption.

They walk back towards Harry’s table, which is empty. Harry quickly turns to the other table to spot his mother chatting with his aunt and when their eyes meet, Anne nods at him, glancing at Louis by his side, giving him a tender smile.

Harry takes his seat again and Louis sits by his side, watching as Harry finds his abandoned glass still on the table to drink from it.

“So, you were watching us?” He starts, placing the glass on the table after taking a sip.

“What?” Louis looks a bit lost at Harry’s question, which makes Harry let out a small chuckle.

“You were watching us dancing, that’s why you came talk to us,” Harry explains.

It’s Louis’ time to laugh. “Kinda hard to miss the whole Styles bunch dancing around so enthusiastically,” he looks at Harry, his eyes sparkling a bit. “I had been meaning to try to talk to you, I just didn’t want to interrupt how much you were all enjoying yourselves.”

There’s no more joking tone in Louis’ voice when he speaks and Harry is glad that he’s not beating around the bush about wanting to speak with him.

“I’ve been right here for most of the time,” Harry gestures to the table, “I didn’t have people coming talk to me every five minutes.” He shrugs nonchalantly.

“It seems you were watching me too.” Louis doesn’t comment if it sounded like Harry was trying to insinuate that he’d been available for Louis to come talk to him whenever he wanted to. Rather, he’s used Harry’s own card on him. Touché.

Harry shrugs again, not really sure what to say. He could deny it, but why? There’s no need for him to pretend he wasn’t actually paying attention to Louis too. He has actually decided that it’s better not to hide anything from himself neither from Louis anymore.

Louis raises one eyebrow playfully at him and shakes his head, laughing softly. “This is the only break I’ve had since the day started, I barely had time to breathe. I love talking to everyone, but sometimes, yeah, it gets a bit overwhelming. But I just can’t say no to every aunt that comes ask me for an autograph or a selfie, can I?”

“I didn’t mean it like that,” Harry tries to correct himself after Louis speaks, just to let him know that he was joking about it. “I know, you are a star, people will obviously want to talk to you,” he tries to keep the light mood. “And please, don’t tell me my aunt has been one of these obnoxious people. She would, but I’d rather she didn’t.” Harry glances over the other table, to watch his aunt talking gingerly with his mother. Louis looks around too and laughs.

“No, no Styles auntie has crossed any boundaries. But if they asked, for them I’d be happy to do it.” He winks at Harry when they return their attention to their table.

“And you once said there wasn’t any favouritism, I see,” Harry says it casually, not wanting it to sound like he’s accusing Louis of anything. They had been down that road, and after everything they had discussed and settled, Harry thinks they are safe to talk about it without meaning anything harmful.

“Well, now that the show is over, maybe I can finally say the truth.” Louis’ eyes have a playful glint on them and Harry knows that Louis is also okay talking about that too, even joking along.

Harry rolls his eyes, trying to contain his fondness.

“In all seriousness now, you know how much I care for Lily, you and your family,” Louis continues, “and I know I’ve told you this a million times before, but I just wanted to tell you once more, because tonight holds an even more special meaning.” Louis is looking at Harry with kind and sincere eyes, his attention all on him. “Lily’s been brilliant since day one, Harry, and throughout the months, I managed to be more impressed by her with every encounter we’ve had, not only regarding her talent, but her personality as well. I’m so, so proud of her and of what she’s accomplished and I’m happy I’ve been with her along the way to help her be here tonight.”

It’s touching to see Louis speak about Lily and to see how genuine he looks. There was never doubt in Harry’s mind of how much affection Louis always had for her. It brings Harry back to thinking about having someone in his life who’s willing to love Lily as much as he does, and how Louis could be that exact person.

“Thanks for saying this, Louis. It means so much to me. I’m beyond proud of her, you know that and today she’s been exceptional. If I may say, most of it was only possible because of you, and I’ll be forever grateful that you’ve given your time and attention to help Lily so much, that you’ve helped me deal with all of this with her,” Harry says, not knowing exactly what else he wants to tell Louis, because there is a lot, but also, most of it he already knows, they’ve talked about it at length.

Louis keeps smiling at him, so adorably it makes Harry’s insides flutter with how much he feels for the man in front of him.

“Lily’s a one of a kind girl, Harry, you’ve done an excellent job with the way you’ve brought her up. She’s so loved and so special, and you’re the one to take credit for that.” It’s like Louis’ whole face lights up as he compliments Harry and it’s hard for Harry not to smile at himself because of that. “I’ve only done my job as a coach, the rest was already there inside her, and yeah, it’s also true we’ve helped her, and I’m so glad we’ve done a fantastic job together to let her feel more comfortable and less pressured about the whole competition. It was great team work that contributed for how well she’s done tonight.”

“I don’t know how I’d get through all of this with her without you, Louis,” Harry confesses earnestly and Louis opens an even bigger smile at him, moving his hand over the table to reach out for Harry’s, placing it over his.

“And I can say this wouldn’t have been the same if we haven’t met again,” Louis caresses the back of his hand gently with his thumb, “and I might have to thank Lily for bringing us together, too,” he laughs, slightly. “I’m glad I got to know you again, glad that we’ve become friends, that we’ve gotten closer again.”

Harry sighs, because he knows that they’ve been through a bumpy road these past couple of months, but to be there now, sitting with Louis, talking so openly again, it’s better than anything Harry had hoped for a few weeks ago. He knows he’d like more than that, he knows he wished he could get up, take Louis in his arms, tell him that he’s been a fool for ignoring their feelings, and kiss him in front of everyone. But he can’t, and if this is all he can get from Louis for a while, it will have to be enough.

Louis takes his hands from Harry’s, not awkwardly, but Harry notices he glances briefly around themselves, maybe to check if anyone had been paying attention to them before he continues.

“And I know we’ve talked a lot about us, Harry, and I know we are at a place we understand things can’t be that easy between us, but I just want to let you know that I’m not going anywhere, unless you want me to. I don’t want today to be the last of us. I want to keep you and Lily in my life. I hope we don’t drift away from each other because the show is over.”

The certainty in Louis’ words and eyes makes Harry want to cry, makes his heart beat faster, because, surely he doesn’t want that either, but to know that Louis is there, committing himself to make sure they won’t lose touch, that’s all he needed to hear.

Louis closes his eyes for a second, inhaling deeply before looking at Harry again.

Harry’s watching him carefully, not knowing what to expect Louis to say next.

“And I know we’ve agreed on giving us some time and waiting til things are not so chaotic, but I’m pretty sure you’ve noticed I’m not one to keep being subtle, as much as we’ve tried,” Louis lets out a light chuckle, looking down at his own hands, picking at a napkin on the table distractedly and Harry bites down at his own lip, trying to contain himself from saying anything. “This is not me trying to overstep, I hope you don’t take it the wrong way, but I just thought… we could spend more time together tonight. I’ve missed you so much this week, Harry and it’s been killing me not being able to talk to you properly, so I just wanted a chance to get some time with you. And Lily too. I’m not expecting anything more than just hanging out with you and Lily, that’s why I’d like to invite you to stay with me tonight at my house, if you think that’d be okay. Just as friends, nothing else.” Louis lets out and Harry can see the apprehension in his eyes when Louis looks back at him.

Harry’s surprised by Louis’ proposition, and if he says so, also happy that he did. If anything, Harry’s been as eager as Louis to talk to him and to have a chance to spend some time together away from everyone after these hectic days, that’d be perfect.

He can’t deny, though, that it makes him a bit apprehensive, because he’s not sure how to deal with being properly alone with Louis, with everything he’s been feeling for him. He still has to consider everything – Lily, his family, what people would think if they found out Louis had invited him – if he wants to accept the invitation.

Louis might notice Harry’s brief hesitation in answering him right away, and he clears his throat and looks at Harry with a more firm expression.

“I mean, you can also invite your family, if you’d like. There’s plenty of room for them to stay at my place too. I don’t have a problem with that if you’d really want to keep this as friendly as possible, Harry. I’ve already said it, I’d take whatever you’d like to give me, whatever way you’d have me, as long as we’re still close to each other.”

“I appreciate it, Lou, really,” Harry finally says, because he really does. Louis extending his invitation to his family is an indication of how much Louis respects the boundaries they’ve established and that means a lot to Harry, even if his heart keeps telling him to end the pretence and give himself in to his true feelings and finally allow him and Louis to give themselves a try. But if Louis is willing to be patient and take this step by step, then Harry can also follow his pace. “And I think it’d be nice, yeah,” he continues, not trying to show how torn he is about this, but giving himself a chance to consider what to do. “I’m sure Lily would love it too. As for my family, I’d just have to check with them.”

Louis nods, and if he’s disappointed that Harry’s taking the friendly road, he doesn’t let it show.

“Of course, yeah. I’ll be happy to welcome them. So please, do. I won’t be leaving so soon, I just wanted to ask you and give you some time to think about it. When you talk to them, let me know, alright?” Louis tries to sound cheerful, but his eyes don’t reach quite the excitement, Harry can notice. It makes Harry want to say yes right away to him and ignore his family altogether and just go to Louis’ house with Lily.

He refrains himself from doing so, smiling at Louis as he replies. “Yeah, sure. I’ll let you know. I’ll just wait for Lily to decide she’s had enough of dancing around.” He indicates with his head to the dance floor to catch sight of his daughter, still having fun. “Gemma already seems like she’s run out of energy to keep up with Lily. Poor Michal has already given up, look at them.”

Louis turns his head around to watch them, and the scene is truly something else. “No one can resist Lily, really,” he says in an endeared tone as he waves at them.

Harry notices some other people waving at Louis thinking he’s directing his attention to them. Louis sees that too and lets out a small sigh, shaking his head and looking back at Harry. “Guess my break is over,” he laughs tiredly. ”So, talk to them later, yeah?”

“Sure.” Harry nods. “Now, go give the people what they want, popstar,” he jokes and Louis rolls his eyes playfully at him before getting up and leaving the table.

Harry finally allows himself to take a deep breath and consider everything Louis has told him. He knows he’s making a bigger deal out of it and he should’ve just said yes right away, but it’s better to be safe than sorry first. Not that he will be sorry for anything he’ll do regarding Louis or how he feels about him, but still, there’s just a lot that could get complicated if he’d just relent to what he wants.

All in all, he’s not wrong in trying to be more careful with how they take things and considering taking his family along to Louis’ house. His mother will probably think it’s also a good idea when he tells her about the invitation.

Anne regards Harry with a curious and comprehensive expression, but rises her eyebrow at him when he asks her if she thinks their family would like to come along.

“Harry, my love, I’m pretty sure he only extended the invitation to be less obvious. I mean, it’d be very nice to visit his place, but I think this only concerns the both of you, and Lily, if you want Louis to be part of your lives.”

That’s basically her giving him her blessing to finally go for it, as Harry knows she’d been concerned where his relationship with Louis could head. But when she tells him she’s seen the way Louis was talking to him, how he’d taken the time to find Harry and be so thoughtful and genuine about him and Lily, that made her finally understand that there’d be no harm in them trying. If tonight could be the night for that, then his family being there wouldn't be of much help. Besides, they had already planned on going sightseeing very early in the morning, she also tells him, winking and letting Harry to decide if he’d rather join his family or have a day in spending it with Louis.

There isn’t much of debate in that, but the last thing standing between him saying yes to Louis disappears when Lily comes back to the table followed by Gemma and Michal and Harry asks her if she’d like to head over to Louis’ with him.

“I’ve missed Cliff so much, can’t wait to play with him! Do you think Louis will also let me play in his video game room all night?”

“It’s not much up to Louis to let you stay up all night, young lady. But yeah, we can see about that,” Harry jokes as he hugs Lily and kisses her cheek.

The excitement in her eyes is contagious and he wouldn’t deny his daughter the opportunity to look even happier than she is right now. It’s all it takes Harry to settle on going with her to Louis’.

When he finds Louis again later and tells him so, it’s like he can see Louis’ eyes sparkle with happiness to know it will be just the three of them. He then tells Harry that it’d be best if they headed out separately, just to avoid anything. Harry understands Louis’ concern and agrees, saying that he’d help his family out first, giving Louis time to arrive at his house and then he and Lily would meet him there not long after.

There’s excitement bubbling inside Harry and he knows Louis has said he isn’t expecting anything else from this, especially with Lily there, but Harry’s optimistic this could be the start of them letting go of everything that’s holding them back.

He also feels a little self conscious when he bids his family goodbye, informing he’ll meet them in London in the afternoon. Gemma gives him a knowingly look and only tells him that it’s time for him to finally have something great in his life. It terrifies him a bit that he’s finally found someone who’s worth it for him, and someone who seems to want him as much as he does.

As he and Lily take a cab to Louis’ house, he keeps thinking about it and tries to put his feelings in place. Lily keeps him entertained, talking about how much she’s enjoyed the party and the live show itself as well, distracting him from his own thoughts until they arrive. Despite the events of the long day they’ve had, Lily doesn’t seem to be tired at all, still thrilled to be seeing Louis and looking forward to having some more fun.

The moment they reach Louis’ house, any apprehensive feelings Harry has had for the past couple of hours go away when he sees Louis waiting for them at the gates. Clifford is right by his side and looks as excited to have visitors as Lily is to play with the dog again. It warms Harry’s heart to see how familiar all of this seems and that, yeah, he could totally get used to it.

They head inside the house and Louis already has food waiting for them (“The best I could do was stop by McDonald’s, don’t judge me, I’d be a terrible host if I had no food to offer whatsoever,” he explains when Harry gives him a questioning look after seeing the hamburgers and fries on his kitchen table.) and after they eat while reminiscing about the night, Lily promptly asks Louis if she can play with his video games. And so they go to his game room and stay there for a while as Lily is too overwhelmed to decide on which games she wants to play.

It’s already late but she still doesn’t look too tired (or at least she tells Harry so when he asks if she wants to go to bed already. Harry knows his daughter and knows she’ll fight her sleep for as long as she can to enjoy the night), asking Louis if they can watch a movie together, going through his DVD collection she had already taken a look the last time they were around. Obviously she goes for a Disney one and picks Brave for them to watch.

Neither Harry nor Louis complain as they sit on the couch, with Lily between them and Clifford by their feet, to watch the film. It takes less than thirty minutes for Lily’s head to roll onto Harry’s lap and soon enough she’s lulled into sleep while Harry plays with her hair.

“Do you wanna take her to the guest bedroom?” Louis asks very low, as so not to disturb her, also lowering the volume of the TV.

“Yeah, that’d be best.” Harry gently takes Lily in his arms as she squirms, lying her head on his shoulder. “The same guest room as last time?”

Louis nods and gets up along with Harry, making way to walk with him to the room.

It feels a lot like the day Lily had been to the hospital, but tonight Harry can put her to bed with no worries, knowing that Lily is probably the happiest she’s ever been in a while.

When he kisses her goodnight after tucking her in, he turns around to see Louis watching them with a fond smile.

“You wanna keep watching the film?” Louis turns the lights off and closes the door for Harry as they exit the room.

Harry snorts at the question. “I don’t mind watching Disney movies, but whatever you feel like we can watch right now, I’m up for it.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve watched that one, I’ve forgotten how they turn the mother back into human.” Louis rolls his eyes mockingly as he walks side by side with Harry, putting a hand lightly on Harry’s lower back, directing him back to the living room. “But seriously, if you want to sleep too, that’s alright. It seems like this has been the longest day ever, I’d understand if you wan–”

“It’s alright, Lou,” Harry says, coming to a halt before they reach the sofa. He turns around to look at Louis, seeing the uncertain look on his face. He must’ve been wondering what to do next, if asking Harry to watch the movie with him is too much. Harry wonders about it too, but if he’s sure of one thing tonight, is that he won’t suppress anything. He’ll do whatever he feels like doing and he hopes Louis is on board with him. “Let’s keep watching it,” he continues, as he takes Louis hand in his, lacing their fingers.

Louis’ eyes widen for a second, certainly not expecting that, but his lips open a relieved smile as he follows Harry to the couch, not letting go of Harry’s hand.

They resume the film and sit quietly side by side, no one mentioning how close they are, or why they are still holding hands. Harry feels Louis might want to know the answer to that, but probably he doesn’t want to pressure him or interrupt the moment they’re sharing. They speak about the scenes for a while, Louis laughing a little at how the mother still wants to act all royal while eating a fish, and Harry’s too endeared at a 30 year old man who looks so young watching a cartoon.

“I forgot how much I love this movie,” Louis comments towards the end, “there’s no romance bullshit, it’s really about the love between a mother and a daughter. It reminds a bit of me mum, you know, the mother bear thing, ha.” He laughs softly as he plays with Harry’s finger.

It make Harry’s stomach lurch a bit at having Louis being so sweet and opening up to him nonchalantly. They’ve talked about personal stuff before, but somehow this right now feels deeper, more important.

“Lily says Queen Elinor looks like my mum,” Harry adds, “I have a feeling our mothers would’ve gotten along very well if they ever had the chance to meet each other,” he says heartfeltly, and Louis smiles at him so adorably, squeezing their hands together.

“Me too. They might’ve just missed each other. Mum took me to Manchester for my audition the year we were together on the X-Factor. I mean, we also missed each other that day, but yeah.”

“Which is unfortunate, but well, things worked out in some other ways for us in the end. I’m sure your mum was an incredible woman, I’d have loved to meet her as well,” Harry says, trying not to sound too sentimental.

“She would’ve loved you, she’d have said that I’ve finally met someone decent.” Louis laughs, winking at Harry.

“When? Now or before? Because before I don’t think the boy who peed on you was that decent,” Harry jokes, earning a light punch on the arm from Louis, “and now, what would she think of the single dad who’s after a popstar?”

Louis raises a brow at him. “You’re after me, Styles?”

Harry hadn’t intended it to sound like that, but the way Louis is looking at him makes him feel too aware that maybe he can’t hide it from Louis that what he really wants is to be with him.

He only shrugs in lieu of giving Louis an answer. Louis regards him with a heavy look for a second before he lets go of Harry’s hand and takes the remote to pause the movie. Harry gulps dryly when Louis’ attention is on him again as he settles himself on the couch, facing Harry.

“Harry,” Louis says calmly, but his voice is so assertive it makes a shiver go through Harry’s spine, “I know I’ve said we could keep this friendly, but this whole night has been really hard for me, because as much as I try to deny it, all I want to do is kiss you again,” his hand goes to Harry’s face, caressing it gently, “and I’ve done all I could to respect what we’ve discussed, because I understand where you’re coming from, I understand that whatever happens between us is not only about us, but you were the one to be so resolute on keeping it this way and now…” Louis shakes his head, lowering his eyes, “I really don’t get you sometimes.”

Harry takes Louis’ hand in his again, rubbing his wrist, put keeping it over his cheek.

“I’m an idiot, let’s start with this,” Harry confesses, making Louis snort and look back at him. “I tried, Lou, so hard to reason with myself that I could just go with it and that we’d find a way after this was all over. I mean, it is over now, and as much as I want everything with you, I still see it’s too soon for us to just go for it.” He’s not ashamed to let Louis finally know what’s been eating him up the past couple of days.

“I never meant to pressure you, Harry. I’m giving you all the space you want and truly, I’m willing to wai–”

“Louis, I’m telling you I want you. I thought I could suppress even more what I feel for you, but I can’t,” Harry interrupts him, because he can’t let Louis think that he doesn’t feel the same for him, “but the truth is that I’m terrified of how this could work, and it’s not because of Lily, or anything else. It’s truly because we live different lives and that’s all too new to me, I don’t know how I’d handle it and in the end, I don’t want neither of us to be heartbroken because we didn’t think things through and just went with the motion.” Harry lets out and it’s like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, because if he’s being honest, that’s what’s been keeping him from going after what he wants with Louis for a while now. He has put into perspective everything in between them, and he realized that he was ready and could deal with things if there was backlash because of Lily’s involvement in the competition, but the difference between their lives remains the major setback, making him wonder if it all would be worth it.

Louis sighs and rubs his thumb over Harry’s cheek. “You say it as if just because we’d start seeing each other, dating or whatever we decided, we’d  have to marry each other instantly with not way of getting a divorce afterwards,” his tone is joking, but Harry can’t deny he almost felt his heart skip a beat. “Harry, we can take this at whatever pace we want, we can see what works and what doesn’t, one step at a time. I don’t care, as much as I have you.”

“I sure do like to complicate things, don’t I?” Harry laughs, shaking his head. “I’m sorry, I tend to overthink things sometimes.”

“We can use some overthinking every now and then, but also, why not just let things happen and see where we go from there?”

Louis’ blue eyes gleam softly and Harry knows he just needs to accept that he can’t escape Louis and what he feels for him. He’s been denying himself some happiness for so long, and now, everything he needs is right in front of him, eager to have him whatever way Harry has to offer.

It’s time for Harry to have that something great, as Gemma had said earlier to him. And he’s sure, Louis is exactly it.

He doesn’t answer Louis, though. Instead he pulls him closer, gently, to kiss him.

It doesn’t seem Louis is startled by that, responding to the gesture with as much intention as Harry.

The last kiss they shared back in Manchester had felt bittersweet, filled with promises that Harry didn’t know whether they’d come true or not. Now, this feels like everything is finally in place. It feels like it’s coming home.

The sweet taste of Louis’ lips on his, seeking to deepen the kiss, is everything Harry’s been dreaming for awhile. Their tongues meeting each other as Louis backs him up against the couch makes Harry be sure that he’d want this for the rest of his life – to have Louis in his arms and to feel the love bumping through his veins.

He breaks the kiss to come up for air, smiling warmly at Louis.

“I suppose there wasn’t much overthinking in that,” Louis bites his bottom lip and Harry laughs, giving him a quick peck.

“It might be time for me to stop denying myself the things I really want.”

Louis tangles his fingers through Harry’s hair before pulling him into another kiss. “I certainly agree with that.”

The movie is long forgotten paused on the telly as they keep kissing, but between snogging and talking, they decide to resume it, since Louis actually wants to see how Merida will save her mother from the riled up vikings wanting to kill her.

“Please don’t say you’re crying, Harold,” Louis teases when he looks at Harry to see his teary eyes as Elinor comes back to her human form and the whole family is hugging each other.

“Don’t tell me you are not! Look how happy they are, you’re heartless.” Harry sniffs, but manages to laugh.

“And you are ridiculous,” Louis pulls Harry closer to him by his middle and Harry lies his head over Louis’ shoulder, kissing his temple as he laughs.

Harry fits himself by Louis’ side as Louis changes to the cable TV, to a show that Harry doesn’t even pay attention to. Neither of them mention moving from the sofa, or that they are both sleepy. Harry’s content just being cuddled by Louis and if he doesn’t even notice when they both fall asleep, he can’t blame himself.

It feels like an eternity has passed when he opens his eyes again, feeling a soft touch on his cheek.

“Dad?”

Harry hears Lily’s voice very low before he can focus his vision on his daughter in front of him. It’s still dark but he can see her sleepy face yawning as she looks at him.

He startles himself a bit, forgetting for a moment where he is. Then, it hits him as he feels an arm around his middle and the press of Louis’ body behind him as they’re lying on the couch. He doesn’t remember when they decided to move from their sitting positions and sleep right there.

Louis’ breath is serene on Harry’s neck and he smiles at himself before he speaks to Lily.

“Yes, petal?”

“I woke up to go to the bathroom and you weren’t in the bedroom with me.” He sees her rubbing her eyes with one hand. “Can I sleep with you and Louis here?”

Harry wants to laugh because Lily could’ve asked him to go back to the bedroom with her, but the fact that she wants to sleep there, on a sofa that barely fits Harry and Louis together, only warms his heart.

He’s too sleepy to say no or to reason that he should really get up and move to the room and also wake up Louis, or even to think about what Lily has made of him and Louis sleeping together like that. So he simply squirms a little closer to Louis to give Lily some space, opening one of his arms so she can lie there and snuggle up to him.

“Goodnight, dad,” she says against his neck and Harry kisses the top of her head as he tries to get comfortable again to sleep.

“Night, petal.” He closes his eyes and just before he can allow himself to rest again, he feels Louis kissing the back of his neck and moving his arm from Harry’s waist to hold not only him, but also Lily in one embrace, intertwining his fingers with Harry’s over Lily’s middle.

This is the happiest he’s been in a long time, and it doesn’t matter that they are all cramped on Louis’ couch or that he and Louis haven’t actually talked about them and their future. But if the future involves more nights like this, with the two people he loves so much, then he truly can’t wish for anything better.


	6. Epilogue - Six months later (January 2023)

  _Well I've been on fire, dreaming of you_  
_Tell me you don't_  
_It feels like you do_  
_Opening up can open some wounds_  
_How does it start?_  
_And when does it end?_  
_Only been here for a moment, but I know I want you_  
_Darling, I do  
I'm with you_

_([I’m With You - Vance Joy](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRR9ExA53Tc)) _

_♪_

“Louis, _pleeeease_ , pretty _pleeeeeease_ , you have to come to my party!” Lily whines over the phone, sporting a cute pout on her lips through the screen.

“Lils, I’d love to, I’ve already told you, love. But I’ll still be in the States that week, I can’t make it. I’m gutted for that, believe me,” Louis tells her, a lopsided smile on his face.

She suddenly raises both her eyebrows excitedly, smiling widely at him. “You could take me to the States as a birthday present.”

“Lily!” Harry reprehends her from outside Louis’ view on the phone.

“I’ve tried to convince your dad to let me invite you both to come travel with me, but he refuses. So, blame him.” Louis gives them a pointed look and he can see Lily looking at her father, disappointment all over her face.

“I can’t leave the bakery right now, the holidays are always the busiest days for us, you know it.” Harry then takes the phone from Lily’s hand to look directly at Louis.

“You see, you’re not the only one who works there, H. Besides, you also denied my invitation for my own birthday, so I see you really have a problem with America,” Louis tries to joke.

“Yeah, dad! We could totally go there!” Lily chimes in, popping her face in front of the screen again.

“Another time, maybe.” Harry bites the corner of his lips and gives Louis a quick wink. “But for now, your party is already all set and you’ll have your friends coming over and Louis will be busy over there…”

“It won’t be the same without him.” Lily’s voice is so sad it almost breaks Louis’ heart.

“I promise I’ll talk to you first thing when I wake up, okay? And maybe I can send you a surprise, how about that?”

Her eyes sparkle a little and he can see a small smile forming on her lips. Louis glances at Harry to see him holding himself from smiling even bigger, his scrunched up face making Louis want to laugh (or wish that phones had a teletransportation feature that would allow him to kiss Harry right at that moment).

“I’m gonna count on that!” She quips, looking more cheerful again.

Harry mouths a “thank you” to him and Louis really, really wishes he wasn’t across the ocean and 5378 miles away so he could kiss Harry.

That’s something they’ve been doing a lot for the past six months and it pains Louis that when he has to go over to the USA for the new One Direction tour, he’s deprived of the one thing that has made him happier than he’s been in a long time.

After the end of The Voice Kids, after that night right after the Live Show, it was undeniable for both of them how much they wanted to be with each other. And so, over the next morning and the next days, they talked a lot about how they wanted to do it, since it was something Harry was still apprehensive about, but was keen to try it, however way they could make it work.

Both of them understood the restrictions their relationship could have –  Louis’ work, about to start traveling around the world soon, Harry’s job at the bakery and Lily having school, and even the amount of gossip that could surround Louis if they went public about it. So, the best they had come up with was to maintain things casually, in a sort of long distance relationship, trying to find time to see each other as much as they could.

With Lily still on summer holiday from school, it was easier for Harry to come down to London with her, but still, they tried to keep the appearance in front of her that they were only just really good friends, because Harry wasn’t sure it was the right time to let her know what was going on between them. It also helped them with the casual thing, because they could take it slow, not rushing anything, and also giving themselves space to find where and how they fit in each other’s lives.

And the thing is, they managed to keep going that way for the next months with no problems. Even with not seeing each other anymore as much as they did over the summer, due to them going back to their routines (especially Louis’, with the promo schedule and release of the new One Direction album), it didn’t hold them back from finding every chance Louis had to go to Doncaster to also take some time to drive to Manchester, or for Harry, on one or two occasions, to go to London for some catering service and also spent the day with Louis alone (which obviously they took the opportunity to let off the steam and build up want between them that had grown from the previous months). It only showed them that they fit together in more ways than others, and if Louis was already certain that Harry was that special someone for him before and that everything he felt for him, not only since he got to meet him again, but since meeting him when he was eighteen, was strong and real, now he was only sure that he had completely fallen in love with the man.

It was kinda hard to keep things simple when all he wanted was to properly be with Harry more and more, but life wasn’t making things easier for them. In October, the One Direction World Tour started and it became even more difficult for them to keep seeing each other. Louis and the lads were in the UK and Europe on the first leg of the tour, so he still had some leeway to find a gap and escape to London every day off he had, but once the tour headed to the States right in December, things became impossibly harder.

Louis had tried to convince Harry to take a holiday in LA, at least to celebrate his birthday, but Harry thought it would be a lot for them, since they hadn’t officially told anyone they were together. Officially being the right word, because from Louis’ part, Niall, Liam and his siblings all knew about it, and Harry didn’t even need to tell his sister or his mother that they had decided to give themselves a chance, because they figured it out right after they saw Louis dropping Harry and Lily off at their hotel the day after the Live Final. So, it was no secret, but officially, they weren’t dating, not even acknowledging that fact to each other. They were just two men who liked to spend time together, who kissed each other passionately, who had shagged a few times, and were on the brink of confessing they were in love with each other, but that apparently weren’t officially dating.

Not that Louis actually minds that. He’s got Harry and that’s enough. It’s enough that they had established they didn’t want to see anyone other than each other, it’s enough that Harry had finally let his guard down and let Louis be part of his life in every aspect, it’s enough that Louis not only has a partner, but also a friend. And it’s also enough that with Harry and Lily, Louis has finally found a place where he feels he truly belongs, a place where everything feels like home.

The physical distance this past month, though, has given Louis some perspective of what he really wants for his life. And there’s no denying that he wants Harry to be completely part of it, officially part of it.

He knows Harry’s on the same page with him, with how much they’ve said over Facetime calls and messages that they miss each other. Louis would feel it if it was different from Harry’s side, but it’s not. And so, it only helps him decide that it’s about time he’d take that step both of them are maybe too scared to take, because obviously things are going well, they are comfortable with what they’re doing, why try something more and screw things up? But Louis is certain they won’t screw anything up. Six months have passed, if there’s going to be any rumours about Louis’ love life involving a man, or more specifically the father of one of his contestants on The Voice, they are past the stage in their relationship that it can affect what they already have.

So, Louis might’ve lied to Lily when he says he can’t come to her ninth birthday on the second week of January. It’s right before their South American leg of the tour, they have a longer break and Louis can obviously make it back to the UK. He just doesn’t say it to Lily, and neither to Harry. So maybe he isn’t completely lying when he tells Lily he’ll send her a surprise.

What both father and daughter don’t expect, then, is for Louis himself to be the surprise.

The look on Harry’s face when he opens the door to his house to see Louis standing there is one of the things Louis wants to keep in his mind forever.

“What the actual fuck, Louis?”

“Surprise?” Louis answers nonchalantly, biggest smile plastered on his face despite the chill he’s feeling for standing in the cold.

“That’s why you haven’t answered any of my messages, you tosser.” Harry shakes his head in disbelief, but there’s no actual anger in his tone.

“Had to add the element of suspense, right?” Louis laughs and he steps closer to Harry without really thinking, to envelope him in a hug.

“You are unbelievable, really.” Harry accepts the embrace and holds him tightly and warmly. Louis can feel him inhaling deeply, taking in the fact that he is actually there.

“Dad who’s the– Louis!” Lily’s voice is suddenly too loud as Louis opens his eyes to see her running down the hallway to meet him.

“Hey there, love. Happy birthday!” He says, untangling himself from Harry, crouching down to give her a hug.

“You said you couldn’t come!” She’s laughing as she squeezes him in her little arms.

“Well, but I also said there’d be a surprise. I couldn’t spoil that, could I?” He distances himself, standing up again to look at her face in complete awe.

“This is the best birthday ever!” She bounces on her feet, cheering excitedly as she looks at Harry. “You knew it?”

“I’m as surprised as you are, petal. He really did keep it a secret.” Harry chuckles softly, with fond green eyes going from his daughter to Louis.

“I have to tell everyone you’re here! Grandma and Auntie Gemma will be so happy!” She dashes off the hallway, leaving Louis and Harry standing there.

“She won’t shut up about it for the whole year, just so you know,” Harry tells him, shaking his head as he finally closes the door behind them.

“As long as she’s happy, that’s what counts.” Louis turns to face Harry, finally taking in the man in front of him. Harry looks so soft, a thick knitted brown sweater, that somehow highlights his eyes, making him look even more gorgeous. His hair is a tad longer than the last time Louis has seen it, but he finds that he doesn’t mind it. He’s looking at Louis with warm eyes, although his brows are slightly furrowed. “At least someone has to be happy that I came over all the way from another continent.”

“What?” Harry looks puzzled, but eases his face instantly, probably realising his confusing expression. “Of course I’m happy.” He takes a step closer to Louis, linking their hands and squeezing them softly. “I’m more than happy.”

“I hoped you’d be.” Louis closes their distance to kiss Harry gently on the cheek, not sure how intimate he can be with Harry in his own house.

When he sees Harry closing his eyes, fanning his eyelashes cutely and his cheeks blushing, it’s all the encouragement he needs to be a little bit bolder and move his lips to peck on Harry’s briefly.

“Is this alright?” It feels like he’s gone back almost eight months in time when he had asked Harry the same thing that first time they had kissed.

“Absolutely.” Harry moves his other hand to cup Louis’ jaw, smiling against his lips before pressing harder, asking permission to deepen the kiss.

It makes Louis simply give in into the touch and let their tongues meet and glide against each other, not desperately but softly and slowly, finally having a taste of what he’s missed so much.

They don’t let the kiss linger for too long and when they break apart, Louis can’t contain himself from letting all the happiness and love he feels towards Harry show in his eyes.

“Hi,” he speaks, chuckling, because he doesn’t know how to put into words everything he wants to say to Harry.

“Hi, I’ve missed you,” Harry replies, very low, still holding Louis close, gently rubbing his thumb over his cheek.

“Don’t tell Lily, but I might’ve missed you more than her,” Louis jokes, bringing Harry even closer to him by his middle, burying his face on the curve of Harry’s neck, inhaling his sweet cologne.

“She’s might be too excited to even notice it. The important thing is that you’re here.” Harry nuzzles his nose against Louis’ face and Louis could stay right there, in Harry’s arm just basking into the feeling of having Harry near him without a care.

“Hm, Dad?”

Lily’s voice is cautious and Louis immediately lets go of Harry to see the girl standing in the hallway again, this time with Anne and also Gemma behind her. All three of them are looking at them with the most curious expressions. Gemma’s probably more smug than curious, Anne’s a bit more fond, and Lily’s completely overjoyed.

Harry clears his throat, awkwardly running a hand through his hair. Louis can see by the corner of his eyes his left dimple showing off as he tries to contain a smile from breaking across his face.

Louis doesn’t know where to look or what to do with his hands. His shoes might be looking more interesting than his surroundings and his jeans pockets feel like a safer place for his hands.

“Are you and Louis dating?” Lily asks openly and Louis might feel like his face is burning from being caught with Harry.

He holds his breath as he turns to look at Harry, who does the same and is regarding Louis with his green eyes shining the brightest Louis has ever seen.

“Yes, petal,” Harry answers softly, a little bit shy as his lips slowly turn into an open smile that makes both his dimples pop up, nodding as he looks back at Louis.

Louis holds himself from snorting beside him and there isn’t much left for him to add to that. He takes his hand from his pocket, seeking Harry’s again, lacing their fingers as a way to confirm what Harry has just told them and to reassure him that, yeah, he’s totally on board with that.

“I figured.” Lily opens a sweet smile at both of them, then looks up at her grandma and aunt, who are shaking their heads in contentment. Gemma mouths a “finally!” at them and Anne places a hand over Lily’s shoulder.

“Let’s go back inside with your friends, sweetpea. I’m sure your dad and Louis will join us soon.” She gives them a comforting nod.

They all turn around to leave Harry and Louis alone and Louis almost breaks into a full on laughter for how nervous he is.

“Was that alright?” It’s Harry’s time to ask as he holds both of Louis’ hands now, making them face each other.

“You ruined my other surprise,” Louis simply replies as he pecks Harry on the lips quickly, breathing in relieved.

Harry’s eyes light up even more as he understands what Louis is implying. His smile doesn’t leave his face as he runs a hand over Louis’ fringe, caressing his cheek before deposing a soft kiss there.

“Let’s enjoy the party, Lily must be over the moon now.” Harry pulls Louis into a walk, leading him to the living room.

Louis squeezes their hands together, following Harry.

“I bet she is.”

He’s sure Lily’s not the only one.

**Author's Note:**

> Title from I Want to Write You a Song :)
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